Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Shin's Adventure
by HayateYuri
Summary: A retelling of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity. With a romantic angle, a human and a Pokémon go on adventures to build their Paradise. Eventually, their adventures lead them to the biggest adventure ever taken that will lead them to changing the fate of the Pokémon world.
1. Prologue

Prologue

…

...

… …Huh?

..Wh-Where am I? Is this a dream? It's so bright here.

I awoke to the brightness of the scenery before me. Colors were pulsating with rings forming in numerous colors.

Oh! What was that? Was that a voice? I'm sure of it….I hear a voice somewhere.

Just as I was looking at my surroundings, I heard a voice within my mind.

"You…You who can hear my voice…Might you be human? If you are, then please…listen to my plea."

The voice sounds anxious…

"I want you to save the Pokémon world. We need your-"

Hm? The voice…..It's gone…?

Just as I thought the voice was gone, something within the scenery burst and I heard static for a moment, as if a signal was lost. Then…a loud voice suddenly came.

"HELP!"

The scenery turned into an ominous shade of purple, as if a miasma was emanating from it and a vision came to me.

I saw a small pink Pokémon running, frantically, from something. As the vision became clearer, I saw that the pink Pokémon was running from a three-headed dragon. Its body was a mix of black and blue, with violet highlights. The wings were divided into what seemed more like a skeletal shape of a wing than an actual dragon's wing. On its heads were violet colored manes, pointed to look even more intimidating.

This dragon was chasing the small pink Pokémon menacingly until it gave a mighty roar and the vision ended.

Wha -! What was that just now?! Those Pokémon…

Hm?

I peered down at the ground and could see something fuzzy. Wait…that blurry reflection…Could that be…me?

!

Wh-What now?!

My reflection…It wavered, and then…shifted…Almost as if my refection changed somehow…

Hu-Huh? I-I look like…I look like a Pickachu! Wha?!

Once I saw my reflection, it suddenly turned bright and I shielded my eyes. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself in another place. Wherever I was, it was really foggy but I could still see my surroundings.

I took some steps forward and looked down at my feet again to view my reflection. I could only remark about my new appearance,

"I knew it. I really do look like a Pickachu."

I could only examine myself as I try to understand what happened to me. My body was a bright yellow. My cheeks had a red circle on both sides. These two red circles were supposed to be sacks where electricity was stored. I also had a tail that resembled a lightning bolt. The top of the bolt was where it was largest as it shrunk to the tip where it connected to my body. Basically, I had turned into an electric mouse.

After reviewing my appearance, I noticed a faint light ahead of me.

Huh? What's that light?

I inched closer, compelled to it as if it was a way out.

I don't know why but…I feel as if the voice calling for help…came from there. Didn't the voice say something about saving the Pokémon world?

The thought of saving a world only sounded more and more ridiculous as I made my way closer to the light. There was no way someone as average as me could do something that was only seen in television or movies.

When I finally stood in front of the light, it suddenly became brighter and quickly disappeared. My surroundings, an ocean of blue, grew dark and I was enveloped in darkness.

I started to panic. One moment I was walking towards light and the next, I was trapped in darkness. Was I going to die…?

Just then, I felt as if the air was being sucked towards my feet and all at once. The air that was vacuumed was then expelled and the ground shook in response. Light appeared around me in the form of a blue circle. It rotated in a clockwise direction and all the while more circles appeared on the inside with cryptic patterns. Even more circles of light appeared, only this time in midair, entrapping me in the center.

I couldn't escape. Just as things could not be more hectic, a great flash of light enveloped me.

"AAAHHH!" I yelled as I covered my eyes.

This was how I entered the Pokémon world.


	2. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

This terrifying sensation..! It could only mean I was falling!

"Wahhh…!"

I opened my eyes as soon as I was able only to see an expansive land filled with greens, blues, and browns. I yelled out in great fear as my falling drew me closer and closer to the land below. There was nothing I could do as I passed the clouds. All I could do was close my eyes and pray I wouldn't feel the pain of death…

Huh? Am..I..alive? Uh….everything is spinning. Can't see anything. My body aches in pain I can't even describe.

"H-Hey are you OK?! Come on, wake up...Come on!"

Where am I? Wait. I hear something…someone calling out to me…but who could be…?

Is that-?

"Hey! You're awake! You OK?"

What? A P-P-P-Pokémon! A Pokémon is talking to me!

I frantically looked around. All I could see were trees surrounding me. It was clear I landed in a forest. I looked up and could see that many branches were broken. It appeared the trees broke my fall. I was undeniably lucky; it was nothing short of a miracle. I couldn't believe I survived such a fall.

"You sure you aren't hurt or anything?"

This Pokémon that was talking to me, it was about the same height as I. Colored in green, yellow, and a soft cream color, it sort of reminded me of a snake as its body appeared to be in the shape of an S. Its tail had the shape of a leaf with only three petals. In fact, instead of a leaf, I could also say it reminded me of a fan. Its hands were small compared to the rest of its body as well as having only three digits on both hands. The Pokémon also had what looked to me a gold colored collar. On closer inspection, the collar rose to the back of its neck but had no arch to connect both sides.

…Th-That's right…I got turned into a Pokémon so I guess I can understand other Pokémon now?

"Does it hurt anywhere? Can you hear me?"

The Pokémon drew closer and looked at me imploringly. Its ruby eyes showed it was being sincere in its concern. Because I was still disorientated, I could only meekly nod my head at its question.

"…Whew! What a relief! You know you fell straight out of the sky, right?"

…Out of the sky? Right…Yeah I think there was some kind of light…Then I fell for a long time.

"Boy, are you lucky or what! You haven't got a single scratch after falling all that way? That's fantastic!"

"I wouldn't say that. Although I may appear to be fine, I'm in plenty of pain. I did come falling down after all. Are you hurt?" I asked.

"Me? How polite of you to ask. I'm quite fine. I was just very surprised. Regardless of being a girl, I'm quite tough."

Ah. I see, so she's a girl. I probably would never have guessed. Even by looking at Pokémon, appearances are still deceiving. I'm glad she told what gender she was; otherwise I would have made a terrible mistake in addressing her.

"I'm Snivy, by the way. What about you? What's your name?" she inquired.

"My name? Oh, my name is Shin. It's nice to meet you Ms. Snivy." I bowed my head in my greeting.

"Shin. Your name's Shin? Well, nice to meet you! But please, just Snivy. Charmed, I'm sure," she answered with a warm smile.

"But, where did you come from, Shin?" she asked.

Where did I come from…?

I could only show a solemn expression as I looked towards the sky.

She looked flustered as the mood suddenly turned gloomy.

"Well, I mean, I know you came from the sky just now…But I haven't seen you before. So I was asking where you were originally from—where your home is! Of course, it is pretty mysterious how you fell out of the sky like that…But you can't tell me you actually live up there, right?" she happily joked.

Ha…I suppose not. Even if I were to say I came from the other side of the sky, it's not like anyone were to believe me. Not anyone normal at least. If there was at least some sort of hole in the sky or something then maybe…But I don't want to lie either. I guess I'll just have to come clean to her.

"Actually, the truth is..."

"WHAAAT?! Y-you're actually a human?!" she yelled.

Ahaha….Well, this type of reaction was to be expected. I could only smile wryly as she continued to be surprised.

"And you got turned into a Pokémon because some voice was crying for help?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So you fell straight out of the human world and into this one?"

I nodded my head. Her reaction was to be expected, but she looked more dubious about my story than I'd hoped.

I-I guess it was too much to hope that anyone would believe me.

"…. … …"

"…. … …"

"All right. Got it."

"Eh?"

"I believe you! I believe your story, Shin."

"What?! Just like that?! Without any proof or anything?" I exclaimed.

I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with surprise. I just told a ridiculous story that, to a Pokémon, would be ridiculous. If our positions and beings were reversed, even I would find this story suspicious. I'm not sure what to feel from her belief in me other than surprise.

"Sure, I know it's a fantastic story to believe. Humans don't exist anywhere except in fairy tales, or that's what I always thought," she said.

"I don't blame you, it's the same for us," I said.

"Yeah. And it seems totally impossible that a human could just turn into a Pokémon and fall outta the sky one day. But, do you know what I think? There are a lot of mysteries in this world. But the truth is that maybe…those things aren't all that mysterious at all. Maybe they're just things that I don't know about yet and that's why they seem mysterious.

"Wow. That's pretty open-minded," I said in admiration.

Snivy honestly believed everything I said about my origin. Such faith in a complete stranger is uncommon. I could only stare at her and just feel dazed by her happy-go-lucky personality. She was definitely something.

"Heheh. That's why I want learn about all kinds of things and see all kinds of things. I want to meet mythical Pokémon that no one else has ever seen! I want to explore ancient ruins and deep caves! And more than anything, I want to have an adventure! That's right! I want to be an adventurer! And that's exactly why I traveled all the way here to—"

Just as she became more and more passionate about her desire to become an adventurer she suddenly realized something and yelled,

"Aughhhh! I forgot! The most important meeting of my life!" she despaired.

She looked really troubled and started to panic. It must have been pretty important to have ruined her momentum.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"Augh! I've got to get there ASAP, but…The path ahead looks really tough. It'll be hard to make it through alone. Argh! What should I do?"

She started to mutter something with a serious expression on her face. I could only really make out her saying something about a tough path ahead of her.

"That's it!"

She suddenly came running to me and looked at me fiercely. I suddenly had a feeling something was

going to happen…

"Shin! Please! Will you come with me through the path ahead? My journey is so close to being over, and everything I want is so near. But if I don't hurry, I might not make it in time! I'm really not sure if I'll be able to make it through on my own. Gahhh! There's no more time to explain! Just come with me, OK?!"

She then rushed behind me and started to push me through the forest.

"Wh-whaaat?!"

That's all I could manage to say as she forcefully pushed me farther down. Oh well. It's not like I'm not used to unreasonable requests. I don't really have anywhere else to go. At least, if I go with Snivy, I won't end up lost and alone.

"Wow! It's beautiful! It's just bursting with nature here."

After traversing the sea of trees, we came out into a clearing that was hugging a mountain. A waterfall was nearby and it gave the area a rather cool feel to it. Looking around, I could see there were plateaus above ground. It seemed that there was a cave opening at the top, but I couldn't really tell from where I was standing. Naturally being near a mountain, there was rubble littered around here and there. Farther down the path there was a small wooden bridge going over the river created by the waterfall. Farther in still there was a pile of rocks and boulders piled neatly with a trunk of tree resting on top of the pile. It appeared that the trunk fell from higher up so it made me cautious of anything that could come crashing down.

"This way, Shin! Come on! Hurry!"

Following Snivy, we crossed the small bridge and walked towards her destination. I was taking in the sights when she suddenly stopped and made me bump into her.

"Huh?! The bridge has collapsed!" Snivy worriedly said.

Is it really that bad?

I came up to her side and peered at the former bridge before me. The bridge used to be made of stone. Maybe the makers of this bridge took into account the possibility of rocks falling down on occasion on it. What they didn't take into account was the off chance of a rock slide coming down. I looked down the gap and could see no traces of the bridge. All I could see were tawny colored rocks.

"What am I gonna do? How am I supposed to get there now?" she panicked.

"Is it really that bad? This gorge isn't as big you make it out to be. I think we could jump across it," I suggested.

"No, I wouldn't want to do that. What we do if one us of didn't make it? Or what would happen if where we landed caused that part of the bridge to fall down into the gorge? No! I want us to be as safe as possible. Ah!"

After declaring that safety came first, she looked around in order to see what else could be done. She then gave a cry of relief and walked towards a cave entrance she spotted.

"Looks like there's no choice but to try going through there. Let's go, Shin!"

I nodded in affirmation and followed her lead towards the cave. I guess she thought that the caves were connected somehow and could take us over the gorge. In any case, it was an alternate path so I followed Snivy into the cave.

The cave itself wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There was light so it wasn't too dark inside. There was greenery growing on the walls. Occasionally we would see some vegetation growing nearby, but overall this cave was something ordinary. I thought that the Pokémon world would end up completely different from what I was used to, but when it came down to it, it was as ordinary as the human world.

"Shin! Look out!"

"Huh…? Ooof?!"

I felt the wind knocked out of me as I was attacked by surprise. The unknown assailant tackled me and I was knocked down. I struggled to get a look at who was attacking me, but assailant managed to get out of my view. Whatever it was, it backed off but only to come to my side in order to have a better angle of attacking me.

Aware of this, I hurried to dodge and just managed to jump out of the way. Noticing that it missed, it turned around and began to glare at me.

"This is…?"

Now that it stopped, I stared at my opponent. It was a Gothita. It may have been the same height as I was, but it didn't appear to be all that intimidating to me. Gothita's face was a shade of lavender that contrasted its crystal blue eyes and rose colored lips. Its head also complimented its black and white body. Since I was tackled all of a sudden, I had thought that I was going up against something bigger than me. Even though I was confused as to what I should do, I couldn't afford to underestimate my enemy. If I recalled correctly, Gothita was a fixation Pokémon that stared at things so obsessively that it wouldn't notice being attacked. Its white ribbons were also said to increase its psychic power.

Sensing that I needed help, Snivy came to my side.

"You okay, Shin?" she worriedly asked.

"I'll be fine. How do we get past Gothita?"

"Well, how else? Gothita attacked first so we have to defend ourselves!"

"Defend, huh? Let's hope it's not too strong then."

Snivy came up with a plan of attack and then she hurried to surround Gothita. I thought it would take notice of Snivy but it didn't even budge. I guess I was its new source of obsessive observation. Lucky for us, but a new problem occurred…

"Do I even know how to use a Pickachu's attacks?"

This posed a real problem. I'm a Pickachu so that meant I was an Electric-type. I'm weak against Grass, Ground, and Rock-types. I'm strong against Water and Bug-types but my opponent was neither of these. It was pure Psychic. Objectively speaking, we were on even ground in terms of type matchup, but that's it. In terms of experience, Gothita had the upperhand. Gothita has been a Pokémon all its life. I've only been a Pokémon for a few hours. I don't even know how to use my moves, much less what moves I know.

"Can't do anything other than just hope for the best!"

With blind hope, I started to strafe Gothita. As I thought, its only target it is me. This gives Snivy a chance to attack it without worrying about retaliation. As for me, I was left to duel Gothita until Snivy could find an opening.

OK. Shall I try using Quick Attack? I'll try imagining a fast tackle.

With that in mind, I charged at Gothita. Sensing my intentions, it readied itself to receive my attack. As soon as I took off, my body flew towards Gothita.

Fast…! Is this Quick Attack?!

I rapidly approached Gothita without at an alarming speed. This was Quick Attack, an attack that struck before the enemy had a chance to counter. I stiffened my body as I was about to make contact.

"There!"

I yelled as I struck Gothita. The force of the blow launched Gothita towards the wall behind it.

I did it! I executed a Quick Attack!

I surprisingly didn't hurt. Was this because I was a Pokémon? I had thought that being a former human might restrict my ability to use moves, but that wasn't case. It almost felt..natural. It felt like it was a long lost memory that suddenly came back when I most needed it.

Gothita collapsed on the ground but it quickly got back up and charged at me with its arm raised.

Snivy yelled, "Watch out! That's Gothita's Pound!"

Pound, eh? I thought as much as well.

Dodging it was a simple matter. What really concerned me was when it would begin to use special type moves…

Realizing that I could just a straightforward move, Gothita suddenly stopped and began gaze at me with a serious look.

Speak of the devil….Gothita's eyes are glowing in a misty color. Got to get out of its line of sight…!

Noticing the change in Gothita's expression, I came to the conclusion that it was going to use Confusion, a psychic-type move that leaves the victim's body to the user's whim with the possibility of inducing a confused state after its use on the enemy. The only way I could think of avoiding it was to get out of its line of sight. I moved and avoided Gothita's gaze until it gave up on its move.

While I was dodging, Snivy landed some blows in herself. She unleashed flurry upon flurry of Vine Whip lashes. It didn't appear that it had it had any effects from my point of view, but when Gothita gave up on Confusion, I could tell it was getting tired. Sweat appeared on its brow from fatigue and it was breathing heavily.

All I need is one more push and it'll be over!

There was only one move that could end this decisively. One of Pickachu's electric-type moves, Thundershock. I believed I only used Quick Attack by sheer luck. I imagined the combination of speed and a physical strike and my body responded with the move I hoped for. If I could imagine Thundershock, then maybe the same thing could happen. This was the only way to end this in one fell strike!

Alright, focus….

Thundershock. A strike of lightning ed from my body. I imagined electricity running through my body looking for an escape. I imagined this electricity finding an opening and rushing forth to strike.

As if responding to my desires, my body glowed brightly with electricity. Then it took shape and rushed towards Gothita. Gothita was being shocked by who knows how many volts of electricity until I stopped and it collapsed on the ground, somewhat burnt from the heat exerted.

"Not bad. Are you sure you were a human before?" Snivy commented.

"No, I'm pretty sure I was a human a while ago. So this was a Pokémon battle up close and personal, huh…?" I muttered.

No matter how I look at it, this battle happened. It wasn't a dream. I felt the pain of being tackled. I saw and heard my enemy attack and suffer an attack from me. Everything I witnessed happened and I made it happen as well. If I ever wanted proof that what was happening wasn't a dream, this scene here was it.

Noticing my grave face Snivy tried to cheer me up.

"Hey, cheer up, Shin. You beat Gothita. You simply defended yourself and now that it's over, we can move on."

"Yes, but what about Gothita? We can't just leave her here."

"Don't worry! We Pokémon are more resilient than you may think. I don't know what impression you have of us, but just because we get knocked down, doesn't mean we'll be out for long. Besides, this Gothita lives here. I'm sure she'll wake up soon enough and go somewhere to rest."

I could only simply nod at her logic. As much as it pains me, she was right. I simply defended myself and it's not like I could do anything to help now. If Snivy says she'll be alright, then that's all I need to know.

"Anyway, thanks Snivy. You helped me out back there."

"Hm? Oh, that? Hardly. You did all the work. I just threw in some jabs here and there."

"I don't think throwing lash after lash of Vine Whips could be considered a few jabs…" I sarcastically said.

"Hahah. Yeah, you're right," she said embarrassingly, "but let's move on. We've used up too much time on this one battle. We still need to get out and back down onto the path."

She motioned me to hurry up and I started to go towards her when I noticed that a berry was lying

next to Gothita.

"What's this? A berry? Looks like….an Oran Berry!"

Snivy came back, annoyed that I wasn't hurrying up.

"Hey! What's the hold u—Oh, you found an Oran Berry! That Gothita must have dropped it after being knocked out. Better take it with us. Never know when it'll come in handy!"

With that in mind, I picked up the berry and took it with us through the cave.

It wasn't long before we made it out of cave. We went through some winding paths that could make anyone disorientated if they were not careful. Light was pouring out of a small incline and when we came outside, we were above from where we first entered. The waterfall I saw was behind us and the gorge was in front of us. That being said, there was still no way across the gorge. The only thing around was a dead tree planted near the edge.

"Hmm…maybe we can use this tree as a makeshift bridge?" Snivy inquired.

"I don't know. Is it even loose enough for us to push? Also, is it long enough to reach the edge…?" I said with doubt.

I examined the tree in order to see what I could do. It looked to be an old and withered oak. There were some cracks near the base of the tree telling that it was structurally weak. If enough force was applied, then it could fall over towards the gorge and make a bridge. It appeared long enough and it should be able to hold our weight. All that was left was to push it over.

"It seems that we can use it to cross the bridge. I'll try to knock it down."

I cautioned Snivy to step back as I made some distance between myself and the tree. If I was going to knock it down, then I'm going to need all the force and speed to topple it over.

"Alright, here goes. Haaaah…!"

I rushed the tree with all I had and made contact. It began to budge as I pushed more and more until it finally gave in. The tree began to split from where the cracks were and fell towards the other side of the gorge making a bridge for us to cross.

"Great! Way to go, Shin! Let's hurry across."

Man, wherever she has to go, it must pretty important for her to be in this big of a rush. Even I'm starting to feel that we don't have much time to waste for whatever it is she's trying to obtain.

We crossed the bridge and then entered the cave that was on the other side of gorge. If this cave was the same as the one we previously entered, then it should bring us down towards the path.

This cave wasn't any different from the previous one. There were other Pokémon wandering about but we avoided them in order to avoid lengthy battles. On our way towards the exit, I gave the Oran Berry I found to Snivy as I noticed that she was becoming somewhat tired from constantly pushing herself. She graciously took and ate it and immediately her vigor returned. I can understand why she told me to take it with us. Even though I did have a battle, I wasn't as tired as I thought I'd be. When Snivy noticed the exit, we picked up our pace and went through

The light made me shield my eyes for a bit, but it definitely was the other side.

"All right! We finally made it to the other side! We're nearly there, so let's give it our all!" Snivy encouraged.

With that, we made our way towards the east exit and made our way past the ragged mountain. The trail we traversed led us towards a plain that had nothing buy spring grass as far as the eye could see. There were trees laid about, but they seemed lonely as they were so far from the forest. In any case, the trail was clear and it wouldn't be long before we would reach our destination.


	3. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

We finally made it to a crossroad in the path we followed. It seemed that civilization was nearby as the crossroad was decorated to be welcoming. There was a fence that seemed to guide Pokémon towards either the east or west paths. The northern path continued past the horizon and I believed that going farther north would lead to new areas. In the center of the crossroad was a sign with two arrows on the top and bottom pointing east and west and a sign lying between two arrows. Their words were faded so I couldn't really make out anything.

Across from the sign on was a small fountain that was gushing with clean water. Perhaps Pokémon used it to quench their thirst. It also appeared that it was used to water the flowers that were scattered about. There were some beautiful and vibrant colored flowers that were lying about, but they seemed well cared for.

"Ha! We did it! I'm finally here! I've finally made it! I couldn't have done it without you, Shin. I really owe you one. Now I've got to hurry. I'm pretty sure the letter said it was this way…"

Snivy started to trot towards the western path. It wasn't a very welcoming path as it just had rock formations and appeared to be barren of color other than stone. Since I didn't have anywhere else to go, I decided to continue following her. Who knows? Perhaps something amazing would happen.

The path didn't stretch far as a new clearing appeared. It reminded me of what the Grand Canyon would look to someone. It was filled with numerous stone pillars and there was barely anything filled with life. The only other thing that really stood out was the small stream that divided one side from the other. It's as if it was the dividing line between a place filled with life and another that was devoid of it.

As if it was a sentry to that barren land, there stood a Pokémon waiting. It was a Quagsire, the water fish Pokémon. It was also a Water and Ground-type Pokémon, a combination I did not want to mess with it.

It seemed that Snivy was familiar with Quagsire as she quickly ran to it.

Wonder if it's a male or female Quagsire?

"Th-thank goodness…You're still here…" Snivy said. Relief and fatigue showed on her face as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hmm? I'm Quagsire, hmm? I'm the one that, mmm, manages the land around here. Is it you, hmm? You're, mmm, Snivy?"

Judging from its tone, I assumed Quagsire was a male. His manner of speaking was odd to me. It seemed that that his pauses were used to collect his thoughts before speaking. Either this or this was just how Quagsires spoke.

"Yup, that's me!" she cheerily said.

"Mm-hmm! I thought so. Thanks for coming so far, hmm? It seems that waiting here was, hmm, worth it after all. I've just been standing here by myself, hmm? But it was so boring that I was, hmm, thinking of heading home soon."

That's some patience he has! He's either very dedicated or he had really had nothing to do other than wait for Snivy, I thought.

"But now that you're here…Hmm…are you sure about this? It's really, mmm, desolate. And there's nothing really here. And worst of all, the Mystery Dungeons are really taking over in this area, hmm? You can't count on anything going as expected in this kind of place, hmm?"

"I know!" Snivy said resolutely, "that's exactly what I'm hoping for, in fact. I brought the Poké dollars with me."

As soon as Snivy said this, she produced a bag of money to Quagsire. Inside was a number of gold coins with the letter "P" on it.

"Hmm. You sure you won't regret this? Then here you go. Your, hmm, deed."

Quagsire then received Snivy's payment and handed over the deed to the land.

So this is what Snivy was rushing over for. What could she want with this land here, though? There isn't much appeal to it.

"The land now belongs to you, hmm? You can, mmm, do whatever you'd like with it."

With those finals words, Quagsire left and returned towards the direction of the cross roads.

"Yeah! All riiiight!" Snivy yelled. "From this day forth…this is going to be my Paradiiiiiise!"

Snivy was so jubilant that even her attitude was rubbing off on me. I didn't know what paradise she was referring to, but I couldn't help but smile along and feel excited with her.

"Ah…S-sorry for getting all worked up by myself," she said apologetically.

"N-no, don't be. In fact, I'm pretty excited myself. I don't really know why though," I said, caught off guard from her sudden mood swing.

"Ehehe. Well, you remember how I said I wanna learn all kinds of things and see all kinds of things? To be an adventurer, right?"

I nodded my head.

"This right here is the starting point for making it all that come true. My dream…is to make a paradise for us all. A Pokémon Paradise."

"A Pokémon Paradise?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna make this the kind of paradise you could only dream about. The Mystery Dungeons are spreading around here. You never know what might happen on land like this. There are a lot of Pokémon who hate that uncertainty…but to me it just means an exciting adventure could sprout up at any time! I'm going to have all kinds of adventures and find lots of other Pokémon like me. And then when we work hard together, we'll be able to live the kind of life that'll really make you feel alive."

There she goes again. When she talks about adventure, she gets this glitter in her eyes that really show just how passionate she is about having an adventure. Someone like her is always filled with boundless energy and lives every day to its fullest. Something I admire about her indeed.

"A real paradise! That's my dream! I've been saving up all my Poké dollars just for that. And now I've found this perfect land! Well, really more like everywhere else was just too expensive. So I didn't have much of a choice…"

"Haha. That sure put a damper on this amazing acquisition…" I said while smiling awkwardly.

"But! This going to be the start of my dreams!"

Wow. So Snivy has those kinds of big dreams, huh? It sure is nice to have a dream. Just hearing her talk about is enough to make me dream about it too!

Just as her excitement had reached her peak, Snivy started to look at me with a somewhat shy expression. "So, Shin…what are you going to do now? Do you have somewhere to go?

….That's right. In the end, I really don't know where I should stay or go….

"Listen, if you don't have anywhere to go…why not consider helping me out? How about you help me make my Paradise, Shin?

What?!

"There's no way I could do it all by myself. So I've been planning to get more Pokémon to join me over time anyway. What do you think, Shin. Will you help me out?"

She had this pleading look in her eyes as she waited for my answer.

Hmm…What should I do? I'm still…kind of worried about that cry for help that I heard, but it's not like I have any more clues about what it meant now. And I don't have anywhere else to go. So then, maybe I should just stay with Snivy for the time being? If I'm lucky, maybe I'll figure out what it is I should do. Alright, I've decided!

"Alright, Snivy. I'll help you with your dream" I said resolutely.

"Really? You're really going to help me out?! YES! Thanks, Shin! We're going to be great friends! We'll be a great team!"

The moment I agreed to help Snivy in her endeavor, I could have sworn she was happier than when she received her deed to her land. Truthfully, I was glad she asked me to join her.

Friends, huh?

"So, Shin, now that we're officially friends and all, if you want to give me a nickname…well that would be OK! What do you think? You got something?"

Again with that pleading look in her eye. I wasn't very good at handling people that begged for something from me. I was weak against people like these.

But a nickname? I don't really know what name to give her. In the first place, is she really OK with me giving her a name just like that?

"Mmm…how about Silvy? From where I'm from it means 'woods'," I suggested.

"Silvy? Alright then, Silvy it is! Call me Silvy from now on! That's it! I'm gonna have everyone else call me that from now on, too!"

She became this happy over a nickname? What a spirited girl.

"I'm definitely gonna make my dreams come true! Just you watch!"

Sheesh, when Silvy acts that happy, I can't help feeling I made the right choice in staying. But still…hard to imagine that I got turned into an actual Pokémon. It all started when I heard that voice in dream and then next thing I noticed, my body had transformed.

After hearing that voice, I had that vision of that pink Pokémon being chased by that three-headed dragon.

That's right…I wonder if that poor Pokémon I heard is doing alright?

How could I forget her? I've gotta help her somehow, but how? Hmm…All I have now are questions without answers. I don't even know if I came to this world to save that Pokémon. And besides…

While pondering my situation, Silvy was still rejoicing over her new name, dancing here and there about her land, and ranting about her dreams. Looking at her made me feel that my worries were small compared to how passionate she is about her endeavors.

Staying here with Silvy…that sure seems like it will lead to a lot of adventures! I feel like something great is waiting in store for me!

Just as I was gazing at Silvy, she turned around and called out to me, "Shin! Let's do our best together! I know there's nothing here now…but…This is it! This is the place! This is going to be our Paradiiiiiiiise!"

Night time had arrived faster than we could notice. Time really did fly while we were having fun.

"Wow. Night sure comes fast around here, huh? There's nothing at all here…I mean, of course there's not, but…Well, I guess we're just going to have to camp out tonight."

We went around our plot of land in order to investigate its contents and if anything could be used. This land really did turn out to be a barren wasteland. There were only pillars of stone, dead trees lying about, bushes here and there, and small rocks lying about. Even though this land was great in size, everywhere we went it was the same. We had come to the center of the land by the time night set in.

We had gathered some firewood for a small campfire and had also gathered bedding. We used anything soft and useful such as leaves and grass in order to create makeshift beds.

"Brr..It's pretty cold, huh?"

"It's nothing I'm not used to. At least we have a fire to keep us warm as we sleep," I consoled.

"You're right. I'm sorry. This is my fault…"

"Well it can't be helped. You used all your money to buy this plot of land. At least this way the only way to go is up now."

"The only way to go is up, huh? I guess the first thing we need to do is build a house."

"That's true. If it started raining now, we'd be in a real mess. I'd like to keep out of the rain and wind, at least."

"Let's think about building a house tomorrow, yeah? Well, sleep tight…Shin…"

I could hear soft noises as I said, "Goodnight Silvy."

Morning came and we awoke to the sounds of footsteps approaching us.

"Mmm, morning. I came to see how you two were surviving, hmm?"

Quagsire had come to greet us and check up on us. Though I didn't really like his tone that sounded more like, 'I came to see if you survived the night or if you two decided to leave.'

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Morning."

"Morning Quagsire, and no…not really…It was a little chilly."

Silvy really did look as if she had trouble sleeping. I was the same, but from where I came from, one got used to sleeping through cold nights so I wasn't as ragged as she was.

"Turns out it's pretty tough to stay outta the wind when you have no walls. So we're thinking that we'd really like to build a house. But we don't really know where to start."

"Hmm! Well, it's a house you're after-! I think there should be a carpenter or three somewhere in Post Town, hmm?"

"Huh?! Really?!"

"That so?"

"Mm-hmm. If you ask them, they should be able to build you a house, hmm? Post Town is just a, mmm, quick walk from here. Want to check it out, hmm?"

"Yeah! Let's go Shin! Let's find us a carpenter to build us a house!"

"Alright, let's go!"

We both agreed and began following Quagsire out of Paradise. It seemed he was taking us back to the crossroads.

"This way, hmm? It sure is annoyingly emp—I mean refreshingly empty here, hmm?"

"You were about to say it was 'annoyingly empty', weren't you Quagsire?" I chided.

" No no. I just misspoke, hmm? This way, hmm. "

We arrived at the crossroad with Quagsire humming all the way. As I thought this crossroad led to more than just the outside and Paradise. The arrows that were faded were probably pointing towards Post Town and Paradise (although Paradise went by a different name, but that wasn't discernible because of the faded arrow pointer.)

"A lot of traveling Pokémon come along this highway here, hmm? And so Post Town was built as a, hmm, nice rest stop for all these Pokémon."

He then turned towards the western direction.

"Post Town is just this way, hmm? Let's go check it out, hmm?"

He then continued through the west path and we followed. A short walk into the path led us to the gate that indicated the entrance to Post Town. The gate had a colorful zigzag pattern that brought a sense of festivities. Signs hanging on the poles advertised the local establishments here.

"Here we are, hmm? Mm-hmm. This is Post Town."

I looked around and saw many different things that caught my interest. There were a variety of Pokémon interacting with each other. Some were happily chatting away while others were in front of stalls doing business. The stalls that I saw all had buildings that represented Pokémon; stalls that looked like Cinccino, the scarf Pokémon; Rampardos, the head butt Pokémon; and Kecleon, the color swap Pokémon. Past the stalls I could see a foyer that looked as if it was used as a meeting ground. To the side of that foyer was a small, deep blue pond underneath a bridge. The pond itself was being fed by two small waterfalls.

The bridge was connected to another building that appeared to be built within a rock formation. It was very skillfully made as the building itself was inside the cave while the second floor was visible outside. The motif of the building was shaped like a tulip standing in the middle of an arc with three pointed fingers on both sides. Even the windows matched with their windows having half of it colored white with three fluffy clouds evenly separated on both sides of the circle.

Silvy was first to comment on this tranquil town, "Wow…I would've expected it to be quieter somehow, but it's surprisingly lively here, isn't it?"

"Mmm-hmm. This town is quite famous for having the best water so visiting Pokémon all drink their fill and wash away their fatigue, hmm? I suppose that's why Pokémon tend to gather here, hmm?"

"That explains why the pond over there looks so beautiful and clear. It looks very inviting, as if you'd feel younger after relaxing in that cool water," I said while gazing at the small pond in wonder.

"There are a lot of, mmm, shops and things, too."

Quagsire then turned his gaze towards the strange box with a gear-like lock and had an air of oriental origin.

"That strange box over there is a Deposit Box, hmm? You can deposit your items and Poké dollars there and then, hmm, take them out later."

Sort of like a bank, huh? I wonder how it works when multiple people use it. I'd love to know how it works, I mused.

He then moved his eyes towards the stand next to the Deposit Box.

"And there's the general store. You can buy all kinds of items there, hmm?"

"There's also the inn and its restaurant, mmm, and all kinds of places. You should feel free to use any of the shops you'd like, hmm?"

"What are you doing?!"

Just then, we heard a commotion coming from the foyer up ahead. From what I saw, it was a Roggenrola, the mantle Pokémon, and a Ducklett, the water bird Pokémon. Ducklett didn't strike me as a distinctive Pokémon because it was just a two colored blue toned Pokémon in the form of a duck. Roggenrola, on the other hand was just a small Pokémon made up of entirely of rock to the point that even its feet was rock. It was shaped in the form of a dodecahedron, but I was sure it had more faces than that. On its head was an antenna like feeler that it probably used to sense its surroundings. It had no face so I wondered for what purpose did its collapsed hexagonal face serve.

"You just hit me on purpose, didn't you?! That hurt you oaf!"

"All I did was brush you with my beak! What's the big deal?! Don't go throwing a fit over every little bump!"

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

After that, the two Pokémon left and went their separate ways.

Woah…they seem a bit touchy. And none of the other Pokémon even tried to step in. Why didn't anyone try to stop them? Everyone was just standing around watching them. It was as if they didn't care and were just watching a street play.

"Everyone is a bit on edge these days, hmm? It seems the strife between Pokémon just, hmm, keeps growing worse. From what I, mmm, hear, it seems that everyone's nerves are a bit strained. Some Pokémon even think it's because of the spread of the Mystery Dungeons, hmm? Hmm. But who can really say for sure?"

"You're right. Relationships between Pokémon are definitely sour these days. More and more Pokémon are only looking out for themselves. Did you see how no one even tried to stop that fight just now? There's just no trust between Pokémon anymore…"

These Pokémon don't sound all that different from us humans…

"I wish everyone would be friendlier, but…"

"The world does seem a bit dark these days, hmm? Though I wish it weren't. Well, never mind all that, hmm? You two needed, mmm, a carpenter, right? I'll go have a look around, hmm? While I do that, you two can, hmm, check out the town."

"Alright! Thanks Quagsire! Let's go have a look around, Shin!"

"Yeah, I want to see a little more of this town."

Quagsire then left and headed towards that building built within that rock formation. As for us, we walked around a bit and explored the shops located right here. The shop run by the Keckleon was an item shop. It had a variety of sundries that anyone could use on their adventure. Some of the items he had on sale were seeds with a variety of effects and selection of berries of different effects that ranged from restorative of health to restorative of abnormal conditions such as paralysis and poison. The shop run by Cinccino was a gift shop, literally. Cinccino would create gifts for Pokémon to give to each other. The shop run by Rampardos was a chest opening shop. It seemed that when Pokémon went out on adventures, they sometimes returned with chests. Rampardos would then be paid to smash open the chests in order to reveal its contents. In a way, this made sense, as it was practically impossible to find keys for chests if these chests were to be found out in the wild.

We moved over to another area and found another stall run by a Cofigrigus, the coffin Pokémon. Cofigrigus was an odd Pokémon that was shaped like a gold Egyptian sarcophagus. The head of the sarcophagus was shaped like a Pharaoh's sarcophagus with teal and gold stripes and the face of it had spooky blood red eyes and terrifying sharp-toothed grin. A black mist, formed itself around the sarcophagus, took the form of four hands.

"So sorry. I'm currently closed at the moment. Please come back next time."

So he said, I guess we'll come back-

"BE SURE TO BRING BACK LOTS OF SPARLKLIESS WHEN YOU VISIT."

I couldn't even finish my thought when he got extremely close and whispered that disturbing line in my ear. I ran off freaked out and found Silvy checking a traveling sales Pokémon's stall.

When I suggested that we look at the pond and waterfall, we met Quagsire, who had come out of the unique building.

"Hmm, you two...Good timing. Those two Timburr over there are the carpenter's, mmm, apprentices. You should ask them about your house, hmm?"

The two Timburr he was talking about were chatting with each other across from where we stood. Timburr are the muscular Pokémon that carried a piece of lumber around with it. It didn't surprise me that Timburr were carpenters, albeit, a cliché in my eyes.

Quagsire then led us to the two Timburr.

"Hmm, lads? Where's your, mmn, master?"

One of the Timburr then answered,

"What, our 'master'? Do you mean…the boss? If you're looking for the boss, he's inside."

Silvy looked overjoyed as we became one step closer in owning a house.

"Your 'boss' is the carpenter, right? We want to build a house. Could you take us to meet your boss?" Silvy asked.

They both looked at each other before nodding and agreeing to let us see him.

"We certainly can."

"C'mon then. Don't dawdle or nothin'."

They hurried past us and entered the building. As we were about to leave, Quagsire had something to say.

"Hmm, looks good. Good luck with the carpenter, hmm? I'll be waiting out here, hmm."

"Yeah! Thanks!"

Silvy led the way in and I followed. I was more interested in what was inside then the carpenter at the moment in all honesty.

The inside left an impression on me. You couldn't even tell that it was built inside a rock formation. This place was covered from top to bottom in wood in order to have the feel of a real building that you could enter. There was a colorful patterned rug in the center of the room and at our feet that greeted guests when they entered. To the right were stairs that led upstairs. Next to the stairs was a small plant and flowers lined a shelf that added color to the place. Looking around more, I could see that there were a lot of potted plants that gave this place a sort of peaceful effect.

I also noticed that there fruits, berries, and barrels lining the back wall. Tables were scattered around this room so this was probably a sort of restaurant if I connected the fruit and the tables. It made me hungry just thinking about it.

"So where's your boss? Is that him?" Silvy asked.

Silvy pointed towards the Swanna, the white bird Pokémon. Just as its name suggested, it had the form of a beautiful swan. Swanna, apart from having white down, also had two patches that were a clear sky blue with the tips of those patches having a hint of white. She stood behind the counter taking and giving orders to the customers that approached her with a smile.

One of the Timburr answered Silvy's question.

"Huh? What are you talkin' about? That ain't the boss! In what world does that look like a carpenter, huh?"

With what I've been through so far, anything could make sense, I chuckled.

"That over there is Swanna. She owns this place and she's in charge. Most call her the Siñora."

"You'll see our boss over there."

The other Timburr pointed towards the Pokémon sitting to the right of where Swanna was standing.

"THAT'S our boss, Gurdurr."

"GURDURRRRRR!"

"Seems to me he may have a fiery personality," I commented.

The two Timburr then turned to us nervously.

"L-listen up. The boss has a bit of a vicious temper. Mind your manners."

"Don't need to tell us twice."

I pitched my comment and then both Timburr brought us to Gurdurr.

"GURDURRRRRR! What?!"

""Eek!""

Even his apprentices were timid around Gurdurr.

"What do you two want?"

"H-hey, Boss… S-see, these folks here…"

"Hey? What's this? You got some kinda job for me?"

Silvy stepped to negotiate.

"Yeah! We want to build a house! I think we can do it, but we need a carpenter. We heard you were a carpenter, so that's why we're here!

"…"

Gurdurr remained silently. This started to leave Silvy nervous. If things started to go bad, I'd have to step in. But this was Silvy's dream so I really shouldn't interfere…

"Um…We would of course be paying you for your help. We really need a place to live. Please… Won't you help us build our home?

"… … …"

"So, uh…wh-what do you think, Boss?"

"… … … … … … "

"Uh…B-Boss?"

"GURDUURRRRRR!"

""Eek!""

"Alright, I'll do it."

"R-really?!"

"Yeah, really. I'm a carpenter, ain't I? We craftsmen stick to our word."

"Th-thank you!"

Silvy was overjoyed as she turned to me.

"Alright, Shin! We're gonna build a house! We're going to need Poké dollars to build a house, right? We don't have any yet, but we're gonna work hard to save some up."

"Naw. Don't need any Poké dollars. I want you to bring me somethin' else instead. There's this place called Stony Cave. Go all the way to the deepest part and get me some of the gems you'll find there."

"Gems?"

"Yeah, that's right. They're blue stones, got it? We're gonna need materials to build you that house. I'll need those blue gems to swap for building supplies at the lumberyard. You'll spot the gems if you go far enough into Stony Cave. Uh, lemme see… Yeah, about five little ones should do it, I'd say. If you go and get me some gems, I can trade 'em for whatever you need. Then we can build you your little house."

"Alright. We just need to get you five blue gems, right? Let's go, Shin!"

Silvy then thanked both Gurdurr and the Timburr and we made our way outside. When we got outside, Quagsire was waiting for us.

"How'd it go, hmm?"

"It went well. Silvy did great at negotiating a deal for us to build a house."

"Things are looking up! If we'll just go to Stony Cave and get him the gems he wants, he'll help build our house!"

"Mm-hmm. Sounds peachy, hmm? You can reach Stony Cave from the crossroads up ahead, hmm?"

"Great! Then we'll be off at once!"

The three of us started to make our way towards the crossroad just outside of town when both Timburr came running out.

"U-umm…"

"Huh? Timburr? What is it?"

"… …"

"Uh… Was there something you needed to tell us?"

"N…no. It's nothing."

"Yeah, forget it… Just go and get those gems already."

"We will, thanks! We'll be back in no time!"

Silvy then waved goodbye and we make our way off.

Strange. Was I the only one that noticed the sad look in their eye? It seemed that they wanted to say something, but couldn't bring it up. And then there was that weak farewell they gave us… Oh well, maybe I'm just overthink things.

"You can reach Stony Cave from this here crossroads, hmm? There's only one thing to remember… Hmm, I think you already know it, but Stony Cave is…hmm, a Mystery Dungeon."

"A Mystery Dungeon?"

I keep hearing those words, but what exactly are they?

Sensing my confusion, Silvy filled me in on what they were.

"Mysterious things are always happening in areas like this. Like every time you go into one, its layout will probably change or an underground passageway will lead to someplace you'd never expect. But there are sure to be adventures waiting for you in those kinds of mysterious places! That was the idea of that made me want to buy land here."

"It sure does sound fun when you put it like that, hmm? Sometimes you can, hmm, find rare treasure. And then everything's coming up roses, hmm? And then…out of nowhere…you might get, hmm, viciously attacked by wild Pokémon. They're very dangerous places, so be careful, hmm?"

I-I see. This job may not be quite as easy as I'd thought. Then again, building a house isn't easy either.

"Might as well try your best, hmm?"

The way Quagsire seemingly transitioned from encouragement to warning must have spooked Silvy a bit.

"You know, Quagsire. You do fully understand the danger that we're about to face, right? Don't you think you could summon up a bit more genuine concern?"

"Hmm…Nope. Never bothered to be concerned about anything in my life. Why start, now?"

"At least you stick to your principles," I said sarcastically.

"Besides…"

"Besides?"

"I somehow get the feeling, hmm, that you two can make it through anything together. It's rather reassuring, hmm, absolutely nothing at all."

"Honestly Quagsire, you are just…" I sighed.

"Well, we DO want to have a house. So we've just got to try, anyway."

Even Silvy seemed troubled by Quagsire's overly carefree attitude.

"Shin. Before we head out, let's make sure we know what we're doing. Gurdurr wants us to go all the way into Stony Cave and get five blue gems. That's what he said, right?"

"That's right."

"Alright! Then let's go! We're definitely gonna get some of those blue gems and build ourselves a house!"

We took a moment to drink some water from the spring nearby and we went towards the northern path of the crossroads all while Quagsire was waving goodbye.

Judging from where the sun was, I guessed it was noon when we reached Stony Cave. It wasn't as impressive from the mountain we traversed when I first arrived here. Stony Cave was simply a cave, after all. We entered the cave and began our descent to find the deposit of blue jewels.

We did encounter some wild Pokémon as we progressed deeper into the cave. We encountered the same Gothita that marked the first battle I had. There were also Woobat, the bat Pokémon, Drilbur, the mole Pokémon, Joltik, the attaching Pokémon and Clink, the gear Pokémon. The most common Pokémon we encountered were Gothita and Woobat. Woobat was just medium-sized puffball with bat wings and a nose that had the shape of a heart for nostrils. Drilbur was simple an oversized mole with three long claws on each hand used for digging. Joltik were small sized Pokémon that resembled ticks or fleas back in the human world. Klink were an interesting Pokémon to behold as they were two gears perpetually moving against each other. They had eyes but only one on each gear. The other eye for both gears was just a white X.

Joltik were especially annoying to combat. They were really small and made it difficult to connect an attack with. Drilbur was a Pokémon that I had a big disadvantage since it was a Ground-type. When we face Woobats I took the lead as they were weak against my Thundershock. Against a Klink we worked together as both of us did not have a type advantage against it.

These battles we were facing were making me grow accustomed to battling as a Pokémon. At first I still had trouble initiating an attack, but with Silvy backing me up, I had the time to focus my concentration and deliver a blow. With more battles, I became more and more adept at summoning the two moves I used the most, Quick Attack and Thundershock. Silvy was impressed as to how quickly I got used to battling.

While we took a break, I took this chance to voice my concern over what I noticed before.

"Say, Silvy? Did you happen to notice the two Timburr were acting weird after we left?"

"No, how so?"

"Well, when they came after us, I happened to notice that they were hesitating when you asked if there something else they needed."

"Now that you mention it, they did seem to act weird. But in the end, they did say that it was nothing so don't you think that was probably it?"

"Maybe…"

I wasn't entirely convinced. Something about their forlorn expressions didn't sit right me.

"But you sure are impressive, Shin."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, you noticed something when no one else did. I consider that perception to be kind of cool!"

"Oh, that? Nah, that was nothing really. I had to be perceptive if I wanted to take care of others."

"That's right. You never did share anything about yourself. What do you mean when you say you had to take care of others?"

"Well, I could tell you, but it'd be a long story. Let's save it for after we have our house built."

"Sounds good to me. It's a promise then! Let's keep moving." she said cheerily.

Promise, huh? I wonder how everyone is doing back home?

"Phew…we've come pretty far in. Hey! Over there! Something's shining! Come on, Shin!"

Silvy grabbed my hand and hurried towards the point that was shining. What we saw completely took our breaths away.

"Wow…"

"Look! These must be the blue gems!"

What Silvy was pointing at was a wall lined from top to bottom in deep blue gems. The light they gave the room a sense that one was underneath water. Everywhere one looked were gems either laying on the ground or lodged inside the wall. Trying to mine these gems would make one rich within the blink of an eye. Trying to get them from the wall to the outside was another story. It was truly a marvelous sight to behold.

"These have got to be the gems Gurdurr was talking about."

"This does seem to be the end of the cave, after all. Looks like all we need to do is bring some of these stones back with us, huh?"

"Yeah. Let's pick some out and head back."

Silvy walked up to the nearest spot and gingerly picked up the five gems we needed.

"Nice. I've got five here. Shin! Let's hurry back to town! Once we do, we'll have Gurdurr get started on our house!"

"Right!"

At the speed Silvy made me ran, it didn't even take us nearly as much time to return to Post Town. We had already reached the crossroad before I knew it.

"Come one, Shin!" Silvy beckoned as she quickly took the western path without missing a beat.

I on the other hand preferred to catch my breath.

Silvy sure is excited, I thought, she must be thrilled to think that she'll finally have her own home. I can understand that kind of feeling better than anyone. After all, I saw the same expression on everyone who got adopted. I sure hope everyone else is doing fine without me…

I caught up to Silvy, who was waiting impatiently for me at the town gate.

"There you are. We're finally here! We're back in Post Town! Let's go find Gurdurr right away!

"Hey! Watch out Silvy!"

"Oof!"

I lunged after Silvy as she fell towards the ground. I managed to catch her and take the brunt of the pain when we both fell over.

"You okay, Silvy?"

Her face seemed flushed, so I asked if she was okay just to be sure.

"Y-yeah…Thank you for catching me…"

Her voice even sounded softer than usual. So I was about to ask her to sit when she suddenly turned on the assailant.

"Hey, watch it!"

"I-I'm sorry! I'm just really in a hurry!"

The one who apologized was a Scraggy, the shedding Pokémon. This Pokémon was always seen to be holding its lower body, but in fact happened to be, to me, it's molting skin. Whether it was skin or clothes, no one really knew. On that note, I did wonder if it had a tail or not because the skin it was holding had a tail. Scraggy himself, wasn't all that big to begin with. The top half of his head and lower body were the color of a desert gold kind of color. His belly and that small stiff feeler on his head had the tinged shade of a rust color while the lower half of his head and the rest of his body was a pale cream color.

"P-please excuse me!"

With that, Scraggy dashed off just as quickly as he appeared.

"Man, that surprised me! What was that all about? Oh, never mind. Let's go, Shin!"

"Yeah, let's go then…"

Weird. Did that Scraggy have that bag on his hip when he crashed into Silvy…?

We entered the restaurant and met up with Gurdurr and both Timburrs

"Oh! You got 'em? The blue gems?"

Since this was Silvy's negotiation, I let her do all the talking.

"We did! There were some pretty fierce enemies in that cave, but we still did it!"

"Good for you. Well, a promise is a promise. I'll build you that house of yours."

"Yesss!"

"Well, once you give me the gems, that is…"

"Of course!"

Silvy looked through her bag and rummaged for the gems she placed in a satchel.

"…Huh?"

"What is it?"

"They're gone! The blue gems are…"

What? No, it couldn't be…

Silvy once again rummaged through her belongings, only with a hint of desperation in her eyes.

"That's so weird! I know I was carrying them on the way here. No matter how many times I check…they're not here."

"GURDURRRRRR! Bwahahahahah! You're messing with me, right? You never even went to get them, did you? Then I guess I can't build you any house, now can I?"

"We really did get the blue gems, though! You've gotta believe us!"

"Where are they, then? Hmph…I guess you'd better just go get some more. Good luck."

"That's…"

Silvy looked terribly crestfallen when Gurdurr said this.

"Hey, c'mon Silvy. Let's just go outside and think things through."

I grabbed Silvy by the hand and escorted her out. Her hand really felt weak and frail as she stared at the ground while walking out.

When I found us a nice spot by the pond, Silvy finally spoke again.

"I still don't get it… I'm sure I had them when we came back, you know?"

"I know you did. I saw you place them in your bag myself. But this is odd… You were walking and running in front of me the whole way back here. If you'd have dropped the gems, I'm pretty sure I would've noticed."

"Hmm. It's pretty hard to swallow, huh? But wondering about it isn't helping either. We'll just have to go and get some more blue gems…"

Although her mood did lift a little, she still was disappointed that all that work we put in had disappeared just like that.

But something didn't add up. Gurdurr brushed this off, way too easily. He didn't even show a hint of concern when Silvy told her that she didn't have the blue gems. I mean, we were gone for a while. Why would he take this as if we were playing a joke? And then there's that Scraggy. I don't want to believe it, but that Scraggy is looking too suspicious right now.

We started to make our way to the crossroad again. We then noticed a Pokémon loitering at the gate.

"…Hm? Huh? That Pokémon…"

Isn't that…the Scraggy who crashed into Silvy? I guess there's no doubt about it now! Silvy must've dropped the gems when he ran into her before. Maybe if we talk to that Pokémon, he'll know something.

"…Hm? What is it, Shin?"

Silvy noticed my pensive expression. I took this chance explain my hunch about Scraggy to Silvy.

"What? You want to ask that Pokémon we just saw if he knows anything?"

Silvy thought for a moment before answering.

"…OK! If we really did drop the blue gems on our way here to town, then that Pokémon might have found them! I f we waste time, we're gonna lose sight of him! Shin! Pick up those feet!

"W-wait… Please wait right there!"

Right when we were about to try and catch up to Scraggy, we were stopped by a familiar voice.

"Huh? I wondered who was yelling, but I sure wasn't expecting you, Timburr. Sorry, though. No time to talk. We're in a bit of a hurry right now."

"…We know. You're going after Scraggy, aren't you?

"Scraggy?"

"It's the Pokémon that we were going to try and follow, Silvy."

"Oh, you mean that Pokémon. His name is Scraggy?"

Silvy looked confused at the mentioning of his. Did she really not know the name of that Scraggy?

"Yeah. 'Course he is. And if you wanna know where he's going… Well, we can tell you that."

""Wha-?""

"Scraggy is headed for Hazy Pass. You'll find him if you go there."

"Yeah, so you little punks had better—I mean, we, uh, we think you should go. Go after Scraggy…and take back what was stolen from you. Just go get your blue gems back already!"

"I knew it…" I muttered.

"You mean our blue gems…were stolen?!"

"It happened before you two came to the inn. When Scraggy bumped into you from behind…"

"…he took your blue gems."

"Wh-whaaaat?! B-but you… How could the two of you possibly know that?"

"W-we-!"

"W-we're sorry, all right?! We didn't mean nothing' by it!"

Both Timburr then ran off after leaving such ominous words.

"Who! Wait! Waaaiiit! …Ahhh, they're long gone. I'm not really sure what just happened here, but, the Timburr told us to get back our blue gems and that they were stolen when that Scraggy guy ran into us."

It all makes sense now. It's not like I have any concrete evidence. I just had this hunch since the beginning. If I'm right, then things have gone from bad to worse. I shouldn't tell Silvy until I have absolute proof.

"Hardly seems like there was enough time to steal them in that second you were down, though."

"Yeah, but the Timburr seemed pretty serious about it. Well, Shin! We might as well go after Scraggy and see what he has to say! They said he was headed someplace called Hazy Pass. I guess we can probably get there from the crossroads. Might as well start there and see! Let's go!"

Hazy Pass was located to the south of Post Town. When we arrived, it had already become evening. This place reminded me of an abandoned mine. It was arid and devoid of much plants or color. What stuck out was what appeared to be switches and pillars that blocked our way to an entrance. I decided to investigate the switches and found that if I stepped on them, they would lower until the sound of a switch could be heard. After that, a corresponding pillar would raise to an appropriate level for us to use as stepping stones.

"Seems there will be type disadvantages for me here, Silvy. I'll be counting on you."

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

The types of Pokémon we saw here were Sewaddle, the sewing Pokémon, Wooper, the water fish Pokémon, and Audino, the hearing Pokémon. Sewaddle and Wooper were the two Pokémon that gave me trouble. Although they had types that I was strong against, their second type covered for their weakness and made it difficult for me to deliver any concrete damage. In this case I let Silvy take the vanguard and I gave her support by distracting the enemy or delivering a follow-up Quick Attack.

Now that I had a good deal of experience in battling, I didn't find it quite difficult to attack or support Silvy. Thanks to this, we had developed a good synchrony with each other. It almost felt like we've battled along each other for a long time.

We had made good progress when we came into a small empty room. It seemed that this was used as a rest stop as there was a nothing in the room save two ways to enter. We decided to take a break and catch our breaths.

"Think we are any closer to catching up to Scraggy?" I asked.

"Who knows? I just want to hurry and find him," she said.

Silvy had a far-away expression in her eyes when she answered me.

"You know, Silvy. I know that you don't want to believe that a Pokémon could do this. I'm with you, I don't want to believe it either, but for the moment all we can do is chase after Scraggy. He is our likely suspect."

"I know, I know. I'm just disappointed that the world has become a place where Pokémon do this to each other. Things were not always like this, after all."

"I can't imagine what Pokémon were before I arrived, but things are like this now. Let's just hope we can reason with Scraggy and let this all just blow over. I want to have a house to live in just as much as you, after all!"

"Yeah, you're right. We'll just have to ask Scraggy ourselves then. Thanks, Shin. Let's keep going then!"

The next floor we traversed was fairly quick and easy. It was Silvy that spotted the stairs that led to the outside.

"Hey, Shin. That way there looks a bit brighter up ahead. Let's push on, OK?"

We quickly ascended the stairs and were met with the outside. I peered over the edge and it looked like we were on the 5th floor above ground level.

"Ah! That's-!"

Silvy gasped as she spotted Scraggy looking impatient. He must be waiting for someone. I then grabbed Silvy and hid away from Scraggy's eyesight.

"Scraggy! We finally found him! Shin! Let's catch up to him and see what he has to say!"

I was just as anxious as Silvy to confront Scraggy, but I heard someone coming from the exit we came out of.

"Wait. Someone's coming!"

…I really wanted this to not be true—

"Someone's coming? Let's hide behind that rock over then."

We quietly ran over to the large rock that was away from the exit, careful not to alert Scraggy to our presence.

"Silvy, we should whisper if we want to talk, OK?"

"OK, fine, I'll whisper… Seriously, what's going on?"

It was then that the one Pokémon that brought this whole fiasco together came out and made his appearance: Gurdurr.

"…What?! That—that's-! Gurdurr…! Why is Gurdurr here?!"

Gurdurr began walking towards Scraggy nonchalantly.

"Sorry for the wait."

"Took ya long enough. I wanna get down to business, yo!"

"Don't be like that. I've gotta be careful to make sure I'm not followed either. It takes a lot of work to keep up this kinda scam, y'know? You haven't lost your touch though, huh? Still quite the skillful little thief. So…where's the cash?"

"Yeah, yeah… I've got what I promised you. Getting' a little greedy, huh?"

"Hmph! Who are you calling greedy? Those blue gems will pay you back big time if you sell them in the west. Compared to that the Poké dollars you pay me is like a drop in the bucket, eh?"

"Heh! Well, that's true enough. Course I could just go into Stony Cave myself and get some, but… Well, it does get pretty dicey in there. Having you lend your particular expertise to that problem is just plain expedient. Ain't no other way about it."

"I'm gonna have those two fools bring me some more gems. I'll be counting on the usual amount when they do."

"What! You're gonna have 'em get you even more? Those little losers?!"

"That's right. After all, they're still dumb enough to believe I'll build them a house. At this rate, I'll be able to send them after more gems for the rest of their lives."

"You serious?! Dude, you're cold! It's their dream to build their own home, ain't it? They're gonna keep believing that dream and just keep bringing you gems forever? Never knowing it won't come true? Maaan. I think I could cry. Ain't you got any heart left?"

"You want me to cry? Over something like that? Hah! You, the great Scraggy, who pulls off way meaner schemes in the west!"

"Well, you ain't wrong there. Nahahahahahahahah!

"Bwa—bwa… Bwahahahahaha!

I've had enough of their conversation. This has gone far enough!

I was about to go over there in a fit of rage when Silvy stepped in.

"You sneaky little-!"

It was Silvy that went out first leaving me to catch up, and nearly feeling left out.

"What?! You two!"

"We followed Scraggy here!" I said.

"Gurdurr! Quite the convincing act you had us falling for, huh!"

"Hmph. Anyone who expects honesty in this world is a fool. That's what you get for trusting me. Dream big and you lose big. It's your own fault for getting tricked."

"You…you were tailing me? You mean you actually saw through my mad skills? I'm impressed, losers." Scraggy said, quite dumbfounded.

"What mad skills? You left such an obvious trail that even your own mother could find you blindfolded," I countered mockingly.

"Why you little punk…! But…whatcha think you're gonna do now? You wanna fight? With the two of us? I'm warning you now, I've been tussling on the wrong side of the route my whole life. The battles I've lived through…well, little squirts like you couldn't imagine. It'd be best for you to just toddle off home to your mamas, you hear?"

"No way! Bring it!"

I continued to provoke him, "Heh. I bet those intense battles you speak of are where you just ran like a coward."

"My, my, my. And even after I went to the trouble of warning you losers…"

Gurdur then began to make a stance against us.

"You don't have a bit of sense between the two of you, do you?"

We ready ourselves as Scraggy spoke again.

"Fine, then. Why don't we just show you? We'll show you what a big mistake you're making! Let's roll!"

I made the first move with a Quick Attack on Scraggy. He was surprised by the suddenness of my attack as he had the wind knocked out of him as she crashed against the wall. Gurdurr took the small moment I stopped to strike me with the steel beam he carried.

"I won't let you!"

Silvy used her Vine Whip to hold off one of Gurdurr's hand, preventing him from striking me.

I didn't even need to communicate my intentions to Silvy. She already knew the moment I struck Scraggy that I wanted to take care of him first.

I moved in to finish Scraggy while he lay on the ground, but this was exactly what Scraggy wanted. When I drew close, he rose suddenly and struck me a strong blow in the solar plexus. This was his Feint Attack, a move that lures the opponent close before striking.

"Guh-!"

The force of the blow even sent me flying a bit before I recovered in midair and landed. I tried to take stock of my opponents. Scraggy was small and agile along with being able to use cunning moves such as Faint Attack. Gurdurr was strong and used his steel beam to deliver strong and decisive blows. I didn't want to switch plans midway as our best bet to end this was to take down Scraggy first.

"Silvy! Switch places!"

I then dealt a Thundershock towards Gurdurr, giving Silvy the room to switch enemies with me. The steel beam acted as a lightning rod, giving my Thundershock the accuracy I wanted.

"Krh! You little…!"

It seemed that Gurdurr had become paralyzed from my attack. Although it was a long shot, I did hope that my Thundershock would give the added effect of paralysis to Gurdurr. Now that Gurdurr was incapacitated for the moment, I quickly switched over to where Silvy was fighting Scraggy.

Silvy was using Vine Whip to keep Scraggy from getting close. But at the same time, she wasn't delivering any damage because Scraggy was nimbly dodging the whips.

I sent out a Thundershock to try and hit Scraggy while he was distracted. He must of sensed my intentions as he dodged my attack effortlessly by jumping into the air, but this was exactly what I wanted.

"What the?!"

Scraggy was wrapped by Silvy's Vine Whip. She had taken the small opening Scraggy gave when he dodged my attack. There was no place left to run.

"Alright, Silvy! Go for it!" I encouraged.

Silvy only smiled as she brought Scraggy up into the air and then slammed him into the ground repeatedly. The sight of Silvy pounding Scraggy over and over even gave me the shivers. Once she had given Scraggy a thorough beating he tossed him into the air.

"Shin! Finish it!"

In the air, there was no way he could dodge my attack. I sent out a Thundershock and gave him the shock he wouldn't soon forget. He landed in a heap of dust and lay there, knocked out.

Right when we finished off Scraggy, Gurdurr's paralysis had worn off. He didn't let that chance slipped by as he struck me with his beam. The suddenness of the attack made the pain even worse. After striking me, he sent a Low Kick to topple Snivy over, but she managed to doge Gurdurr's follow-up attack with his beam.

"That's a painful steel beam he has," I said as Silvy helped me to my feet.

Gurdurr only chuckled menacingly as he waited for our next move, placing his steel beam on the ground.

So he grounded himself…. This will work!

"Silvy, go after the steel beam after I attack."

"What? How? He won't ever let go of it."

"He will now…!"

I sent another Thundershock towards Gurdurr. He prepared for my attack by using the steel beam as a lightning rod again and let the electricity disperse into the ground. As he waited for me to stop attacking, Silvy finally noticed why I asked her to grab the beam. When Gurdurr used the beam as a lightning rod, he had to let go of it in order to not get shocked himself. She sent a Vine Whip towards Gurdurr. Believing that it was meant for him, he was forced to jump away to avoid being hit without his beloved beam. But instead of continuing after Gurdurr, Silvy redirected her vines to the steel beam the moment I stopped my Thundershock.

"Damn you!"

She grabbed the beam and tossed it into the air. He took the chance to go after the beam as Gurdurr jumped for the steel beam. I didn't miss a beat as I unleashed another Thundershock. It connected with Gurderr as he managed to grab a hold of his beam. Silvy then finished off Gurdurr by grabbing him and slamming him hard against the ground.

"That's the end," I said with a sigh.

We brought Gurdurr and Scraggy together in front of us, hoping they would explain and repent for their actions. All we could do was wait for them to regain consciousness.

Scraggy was first to come around.

"Y-yeowch!"

Scraggy took his chances to run away like the wind. I could only give him credit for his cowardly speed.

"You-! I'm not gonna lose here! I'm not gonna lose to you fools!

"It's over Gurdurr. You lost." I said.

"GURDURRRR! Come on!"

He yelled out his battle cry as he caught his second wind. Just then, new voices came to attempt to help.

"Boss! Please…just stop!"

"Wh-what?!"

"Boss… We're begging you!"

"Please…stop doing these things!

"You two… Why're you…"

Both Timburr had come to try to dissuade their boss from continuing any further with his feeble attempts to fight back

"You didn't… You wouldn't-!"

Gurdurr finally realized how it was that we found him and Scraggy.

"So! You two are the ones who sold me out! The backstabbers appear at last! It was YOUR meddling! RRRRGGGHH! GURDURRRRRR!"

""Gyeeeeaaahhh!""

Both Timburr were cowed by Gurdurr's fearsome roar. But they still persisted with their pleas.

"B-Boss! P-please! Let this be the last time you do this kind of thing, OK?"

"What…"

"We don't wanna do this anymore. We never work. All we do is bad stuff. We don't want to watch any more of this…"

"You never used to be like this, Boss… You were nice! And you loved your work… You're not… Well, you're not the boss we knew. Not anymore.

"What?! You little… You think you can defy me, huh?!"

"We don't want to do bad things anymore, Boss!"

"Please, Boss! We're begging! Can't we… Can't we just do honest work together like we used to? Can't you just…have fun working with us again?"

"Work like we used to… You…you guys oughta know better than anyone… There's no way that can happen! GRAHHHHH! GURDURRRRRR!"

Gurdurr's rage had reached his peak and he bulldozed both Timburr. Both of them were left lying in the ground in pain.

"What… What are you doing?!" Silvy said in horror.

"It's time you guys learned already… You can't…you can't just go back to the way things used to be."

He said these words full of sorrow and hopelessness and walked on in deeper into Hazy Pass. Both Timburr came around and started to get back up.

"Owww…"

"A-are you guys OK?!"

Silvy and I hurried and helped them to their feet. From my bag, I gave them both Oran Berries to recover their strength. They took the berries gratefully and ate them with gusto. We let them catch their breath for minute before interrogating them.

"It seems like there's more to this story than we've heard. Tell us what happened."

"Yes…"

"You see, our boss…he used to be a great carpenter… Really! Everyone loved his work back then… We were in awe of his skill and that's why we wanted to work with him. Being his apprentices was really, really fun back then…"

"But then…the boss got injured one day… After he injured his back, he couldn't move the way he used to. His body just wouldn't listen. So he couldn't build the way he used to, either. And because of that, he couldn't practice his building skills, so they went downhill…"

"But even then-! Even without his old skills, the boss kept doing the best he could, y'know? He still had his pride in the work! But…then it happened…"

"What happened?"

"A certain Pokémon asked us to build him a house. Work had become pretty scarce by that time. We were so happy, all three of us… We poured our hearts into that house. We used up every last drop of energy we had to build it… And that Pokémon… He started by bashing the quality of our work… And then he destroyed the house. Right before our eyes…"

"What?!"

"Was it really that poor of a job?!"

"At first we thought he had torn it down because our work wasn't good enough… If that were really the reason, well I guess we would've had to deal with it. But that wasn't the reason. From the very start…he was just toying with us!"

""Toying with you?!""

Both of us were surprised by this motive.

"He had us build that house with every intention of tearing it down afterward…planning from the start to complain about the work as an excuse not to pay us. That Pokémon called the boss's house a piece of garbage! Can you imagine? And smashed it over and over until there was truly nothing but garbage left. The boss had no confidence in himself after that day. He gave in to his despair and stopped working at all... And eventually he started cheating other Pokémon…like you."

"What a horrible story… But you said that Pokémon was just toying with you, right? He was planning to tear down the down the house from the start! So that means it didn't have anything to do with how good or bad your work was. Gurdurr shouldn't have given up faith in himself because of that!"

"We tried saying that, too. But the boss just wouldn't listen to a word we said. In the end, he's the one who felt the loss of his skills most. And that house! He tried so hard to do a perfect job. And then it all got torn down in front of his face. I don't think it's any surprise he gave up after seeing that."

"But still…that doesn't mean he should become a criminal! We don't want the boss to keep doing these bad things… We thought maybe we could change things this time… And that's why we tried telling you about Scraggy, Shin… But in the end, the boss…isn't going to change, is he?"

"We just want to work together with the boss again. We want him to go back to being the same old boss who loved what he did… Sniffle…Sniffle."

"You know what I'm thinking, Silvy?"

"…Of course."

"It's settled, then! Our house…is definitely going to be built by Gurdurr!"

"Wha—WHAAAT?!"

"Even after he's been so terrible to you… Why would you-?!"

"We've decided. We don't want anyone else to build it. Gurdurr's our guy."

"I want to see the house you two and Gurdurr will build together! A house with all your heart and soul poured into it!"

Silvy turned her gaze towards the entrance that led deeper into Hazy Pass.

"Gurdurr headed farther in this way. Let's go ask him to help us. Even if he says no…We're gonna keep on asking him till he agrees!"

Both Timburr looked at each other with tears in their eyes.

""Sniff…""

"Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Thank you! Thanks, you guys!"

"WAAAHHHHHH!"

The Timburr then ran to Silvy and cried in her arms. She soothed them, like a mother would to her crying child.

"Let's all go together."

"Let's go see Gurdurr together."

It was all I could say as I stared at Silvy. She really did look radiant with her conviction firm in her eyes and her warm expression as she comforted the Timburr.

With the added strength that both Timburr contributed, all four of us blazed through the next floor of Hazy Pass. It felt like it only took us a fraction of what the time it may have taken just me and Silvy to reach the rest room. While we took a break, I took this chance to give Silvy a berry I found in the previous floor. She looked ragged after the battle with Scraggy and Gurdurr and we didn't have a chance to rest as we set off immediately in pursuit of Gurdurr.

"Come to think of it, Shin, you knew this was going to happen, right?"

?!

"You had a strange look in your eye when we left Swanna's restaurant after losing the gems and even before that you noticed both Timburrs acting strange. Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's not like I knew everything. I just sort of connected the dots and I had a general idea of everything when we set off after Scraggy. I just didn't want to believe that Gurdurr had anything to do with this."

"I see. You knew that I would have denied Gurdurr would have done anything like this."

"We're sorry again, you two."

"Yeah, if we had just said something to you about this when you went to Stony Cave, then none of this would have happened."

"No, I don't think you're right. If you had told us of Gurdurr's plan, I don't think we'd have a chance to bring him back from his despair like we do now."

"But still, you're perception doesn't fail to impress. You figured out everything even before we got here to Hazy Pass," Silvy said admiringly.

"It's just something you pick up along the way. C'mon. We need to catch up to Gurdurr."

I didn't want to talk about how I became so perceptive. This wasn't the time nor the place for it. We have more pressing matters to worry about, so I encouraged everyone to continue moving on.

"We're nearly to the peak now."

"Oh!"

Both Timburrs hurried to the outside. If they said that the peak was close then we could only believe them. Silvy and I hurried after them when they noticed Gurdurr outside.

We peered outside and saw Gurdurr standing near the edge of cliff peering into the night sky. The moon was full and large as it bathed the cliff with a luminescent glow. We had been inside for longer that I'd imagine as I never felt that it turned night outside.

"Ain't that…the boss?"

"Looks like it. OK. You two should probably wait here. For now, Shin and I will go and try to talk some sense into Gurdurr."

The both of us walked outside as Gurdurr raised a hand to the moon.

"…Hmph!"

He closed his fist and opened it again with a grunt. Perhaps he was laughing at his weakness or perhaps just huffing that we arrived as per his expectations. Somehow, that scar on his back symbolized more than just a physical wound.

"…So it's still…no good, huh?"

"Gurdurr!"

Silvy called out to him in order to get his attention. He just simply turned as if unaware of the atmosphere he had caused.

"What? You two again…"

"We've been looking for you, Gurdurr."

"So you're still angry, are you? Fine. Let's do this."

"What?! No, that's not-! We just want to—

"GURDURRRRR! I can't build houses anymore. Even if I wanted to build something, I ain't got the strength. But…for some reason I've still got plenty of strength left for fighting! Good-for-nothing power that can't create a thing!"

"Shin! Watch out!"

"I'll show you what real rage looks like! You'd better be ready!"

Gurdurr let out a roar and charged at us with all his might. Both us only managed to dodge as he shot past us. Even without him attacking me, I could already feel the amount of force he put into that tackle. He wasn't holding anything back. All of his anger, frustration, and despair were channeled into strength that could topple anything unfortunate enough to get in his way.

"Let's take this slow, Silvy. He's stronger than before!"

Even though it was a two-VS-one situation, he was using strength that turned the table and made us seem like we were the one and he was the two. If we weren't careful, this could all end in one blow. Add that to the fact that we are fighting next to cliff and the danger skyrockets.

"Here he comes again!" Silvy yelled.

Gurdurr had sets his sights on Silvy and again charged at her with pure force. Instead of simply charging her, he was going to use his steel beam as a club. Silvy managed to escape by using her Vine Whip as an escape line. She wrapped her vine around a nearby rock and zip lined to that area. The ground she stood before was nothing more than a battered crater from Gurdurr's attack.

"Damn! Isn't there anything we can do…?!" I mutter in despair.

Neither of us could afford to get close. Although he wasn't thinking about how to attack, his blind rage only served to boost his attacks several fold. We could only afford to attack from a distance. I was the only one who could do that that, but would it be enough to stagger him?!

Oh no! He has me in his sights!

Gurdurr charged again. I didn't have anywhere to go as I made the mistake to circle him and have the cliff at my back.

"Shin!"

Knowing this, Silvy used her Vine Whip to wrap Gurdurr in a bind hoping to halt his attack. It managed to work, but Gurdurr grabbed her vines in his hand and launched Silvy up.

"Wha-Waaaaah!"

One slam after another, Gurdurr continuously lifted and slammed Silvy onto the ground. I couldn't watch any longer so I jumped onto Gurdurr's back and used a Thundershock at point blank range. It seemed to have an effect as he winced and let go of Silvy's vines. When he did, the vines retracted back to Silvy who has lying on the ground in pain.

C'mon. Do it!

The Thundershock answered my prayer and paralyzed Gurdurr. Using this brief respite, I ran to Silvy and gave her an Oran Berry. She ate it and energy surged back into her body. I cradled her body as I imparted my idea on how to stop Gurdurr.

"Silvy, listen to me. I'm going to try to end this in one shot, so I'm going to need your help. I'll distract Gurdurr and you give it your all in attacking with Vine Whip. Don't worry about me. We can't afford to let Gurdurr move at all. Understand?"

"What?! But you'll end taking up damage too! I can't attack Gurdurr at the cost of hurting you!" she protested.

"We don't have a lot of options here, Silvy. If we don't finish this, we'll end up being taken down by Gurdurr's strength and stamina. You've already taken a lot of damage and I'm starting to get exhausted from dodging his attacks. Please!"

"But-!"

"Silvy, I trust you, OK? We're partners, so have a little faith in me."

"Partners…? …OK, I got it. I'll follow after you!"

With resolution in her eyes, Silvy got up and I gave her a wink in acknowledgment while she nodded her head with a smile.

"Let's go!"

I quickly ran towards Gurdurr who had just managed to lose the effects of the paralysis. He didn't even care that I was charging as he swung his beam at me. I took this chance and used his beam as a stepping stone to get on Gurdurr's back. From there, I unleashed another Thundershock. Amazingly, Gurdurr wasn't flinching as much as before as he slowly tried to grab me while in pain. Silvy slapped away Gurdurr's hands.

"I won't let you near him!"

Silvy shot both Vine Whips and hit Gurdurr numerously with strong force. Some of her whip strikes hit me, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to the pain as I was more focused in it shocking Gurdurr. With our combination, Gurdurr couldn't hold out much longer until he finally collapsed. He only just managed to support himself with his steel beam. I began to lose consciousness from exhausting myself and I started to fall off. Silvy caught me and brought me to her side.

"Ngh…Are you… Are you…satisfied now? It doesn't matter how much you rage against it. No matter how much you hate it… Some things can't be changed."

With his beam as support, Gurdurr stood up feebly.

"This world we live in…it's all about who's doing the lying and who's being lied to. Honest folks just look like fools. In a world like this, you're the ones who get blamed for being tricked. So you can't get mad at me. It's just the way this rotten world works."

"That's nothing! Nothing you just said can't be considered justification for what you did to us or anyone before us. Don't you see what you've become?! Is this really what your friends would like to see you in?!" I yelled.

"You may be right about the world… But…that's exactly why I can't accept this kind of thing…" Silvy said.

"Argh! We didn't come here to argue about this kind of stuff!" I said.

"That's right. Gurdurr, we want… We want you to build us a house," Silvy declared.

"Wh-what?! But I was such a jerk to you! You still want my help? You want me to work with you? To build your home?"

"Yeah. We'll get together the Poké dollars and materials somehow. So please… Won't you help us build ourselves a home?"

"Y-you… Bwahahahahahahah! I swear…you're some kinda prize fools, aren't you! Don't you even realize I've been lying to you this whole time?! I've got no hope left… Not for this world! Not for my craft!"

Gurdurr then showed us his back.

"Look at this scar, why don't you? Thanks to this stupid injury, my body won't even move to what I want it do anymore! I can't build anything! Build you a house! Ha! I can't make nothin' but junk anymore! You get it now? You're asking an old washout who can't build anything decent…to build your house!"

""Boss! You're wrong!""

"Y-you two…"

"Silvy and Shin already knew about your injury! We told them about it!"

"You did what?!"

"But even knowing that, Silvy and Shin… They still want you to build their house!"

"Wha-!"

"Gurdurr, you just said you can't build anything but junk, right? But…what's wrong with that?"

"You just need to work on getting better again," I added.

"We want you to build our house, Gurdurr, and no one else. If you'll just put your heart into building it, then we don't need a fancy house."

"I'm comfortable as long as I have a house. I don't need an extravagant one."

"We don't want to live in some perfectly built masterpiece that has no heart. We want a house made by someone who pours their heart into what they do."

"Sniff…"

"And besides…," I looked at the Timburr and said, "These Timburr would follow you to the end of the world. You know? No matter how far you might stray from the path… No matter how many times you lash out at them… They still go on believing that you can all have fun working together again someday…"

"You've still got them, Gurdurr. You have to think about them. They've been trying so desperately to help you, but… Gurdurr! What do you think you've been doing, huh?!

"Boss! Let's go back to work! Let's all work together again!"

"Please, Boss! Let's go back to the old days when we used to have fun, Boss!"

"Y-you two.."

Silvy cried, "Gurdurr! Please! Build our house! Build us the house that no one but you could make!"

"Ugh… Gwaaaaaah!"

"B-Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Silvy… Shin… I'll do it. I'll…build your house.

Gurdurr!

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I'll put everything I've got into it. But… But not now… Right now I… I just need to cry for a bit…"

Gurderr then collapsed onto the ground and cried his heart out. His cold heart was finally melting. Every regret, every desire and every sorrow was poured in those tears he released. His Timburr only huddled with him and cried along with him.

"C'mon Shin. Let's give them their space."

"Yeah, we'll wait inside."

We quietly excused ourselves and let them have their moment together.

"You did really good today, Silvy. You're the real hero today."

"Heheh. You think?" she said blushing, "but I think it's you who is the hero. I probably wouldn't have been able to convice Gurdurr to come back."

"Maybe. But I think when it comes down to it, it was your words and the Timburrs that finally reached Gurdurr. I was just there to take you all there to him."

"Shin…"

Quite sobs could be heard outside, while heartbeats could be felt inside that night.

And so… Gurdurr promised to build the house in Paradise. Once we returned from Hazy Pass, Gurdurr and the Timburr began building at once. And the two of us…and even Quagsire…We all did our best to help with the construction of the new home. Several days later…

"It's done! We have a house!" Silvy yelled happily.

"Hmm. It's quite an interesting house, hmm?"

"Urgh! Sorry it's so bad. I'm afraid this is the best I can do right now."

"But…it does have a certain warmth to it. I think it's a good house." I consoled.

"Well, even if it doesn't look very pretty I had a really good time doing this job!" Timburr added.

"You said it. This has gotta be the most fun I've ever had on a job. It's like… Yeah, it's kinda shabby…

But it's not REALLY shabby… It's kinda strange, but…I'm pretty happy with the work we did. In an odd sorta way. Though it really is…not much to look at, huh?" the other Timburr said.

"It doesn't matter what it looks like. I love it! Gurdurr! Timburr! Timburr! Shin! And Quagsire, too! Thanks, everybody! Everyone put their hearts into it... That's all that really matters."

Silvy thanked each and everyone one of us before finally saying,

"At any rate… This is going to be…our new…HOOOOOOMMME!"

""YEAH!""


	4. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

I woke up a little before the sun woke up. This was around the time I was accustomed to waking up as I had a great deal of responsibility being the oldest among the kids. I would get up to start breakfast and get meals ready for the children for when they went to school. As long as I took care of everything, the children could attend school and have a semblance of freedom.

Since there wasn't anything for me to do, I quietly snuck outside to look at the fading stars. Looking at them really made you appreciate their beauty as they were barely visible back home.

Hard to believe that I've only been here for a couple of days.

As the sun was slowly rising, I turned around to get another look at our home. It really wasn't much of house in all honesty. It resembled half of a giant acorn. The cap of the house had a dark brown color to it with patches of plants scattered about with a window atop the entrance. At the base of the stem was a large bush resting there, sort of how a strawberry has greenery covering the base of the stem as well. The house itself was a tan color and had windows surrounding the entrance. Even the house was brimming with plants giving the house a sort of atmosphere that it was taken by nature in forest.

It was still mind boggling that the land it was built on was the very same spot we first camped out on my first night here. Before, it was a wasteland full of dead trees, weeds, bushes and rocks. Now it was a leveled plain that made one feel it was a desert oasis. There was patches of grass planted here and about, there were a few trees planted (three were growing from the house and the other was planted behind the house), there were pots filled with berries and water to add color to this plain and there also some leafy bushes planted to add balance to this place. No one could have guessed how bad it looked before.

The sun had finally risen to bring morning here so I decided to enter our house before Silvy woke up. The interior was just as interesting as the outside. It felt like we were sleeping inside of a tree as everything was made of wood. There was even a tree stump to be used as a chair and another used as a table! Plant vines were draped in the space between each window giving the look of a curtain even though it wasn't exactly covering the window. Our makeshift beds were next to each other towards the back in front of the largest window.

Whether it was because Silvy was a grass-type Pokémon or because she liked plants, she had brought in some plants that resembled four-leaf clovers and placed them around as decoration. I brought in a couple of flower bushes to bring in a different color into our home other than green and brown. There was a neat wood pile diagonal from where I slept for when we wanted to start a small fire outside. There were jugs of water and pans full of apples placed in the corners of the room for easy access. Anything that needed to be kept clean was placed inside pots closed with giant leafs. This was our house that we built together.

Right when I made my way to bed, Silvy woke up and greeted me.

"Morning, Shin! How'd you sleep last night? I was out like a light!"

"Morning, Silvy. I slept fine. It felt great to sleep indoors."

"It wasn't cold or windy or anything. It's great to have a house! No, it's awesome! And now that we've got our house, I really wanna start expanding Paradise. We should keep adding facilities and shops and stuff.

"Facilities?"

"Yeah. Like fields that can grow berries or dojos where we can work on our moves. I want to make all kinds of facilities that'll come in handy for our adventures! And of course this area does have very high mysteriosity! Y'know? Like it's really mysterious. If we start digging around, we might find that there are dungeons or things! …Hey, it could happen! At any rate, we should prepare lots of land for development!"

Silvy was really excited that her dream was finally moving forward. Getting this house was only the first step and now that she had had her house built; it had only empowered her dreams, making them more than just dreams.

"Oh, and…I suppose we'll need some more Pokémon we can trust. If we just get two more Pokémon to join us, then we could register as a team, too… Adventures would be a breeze then! We don't want just anyone on our team, of course… It'd be great to be a real team."

Pokémon…we can trust…

"But I know we aren't gonna get all that done at once! We've just got to start small and keep moving forward! Shin! Let's give it our all again today!"

I nodded to her enthusiasm and we both headed outside for a new day.

When we stepped outside, Quagsire was outside to greet us. Silvy took this chance to greet him.

"Hey, Quagsire! Morning! What are you up to so early?"

"Mmm, morning. I've just been, hmm, waiting for you two to wake up."

"What? You were waiting for us?" I questioned.

"Hmm. Yes. Come with me, hmm?"

The both of us looked at each other and followed after Quagsire.

Quagsire took us to the part of Paradise that we first met him. Just like the land where our house was situated, this land, too, was also transformed.

Instead of pillars of stone, dead trees and weeds, the whole land was flatten and rejuvenated. It was cleaned to look as if the earth was still brimming with life. Grass patches were also planted to emphasize this.

Quagsire continued to lead us until he stopped at the board.

"Mm-hmm. This is it."

"Isn't this…a bulletin board?"

"Mm-hmm. Consider it a little gift from me. I'm calling it the, hmm, the Request Board. You'll find information about adventuring…and requests from Pokémon. They may need you to find something for them or take care of some bad egg. You may even find little requests for help from the Pokémon around town, hmm? All kinds of different notices will crop up on here, hmm?"

"Yeah? Cool!"

Silvy was definitely excited that she now had an opportunity to help other Pokémon on top of going on an adventure. Even I felt tingly at the thought of saving or helping others. There was one thing I wanted to ask though.

"So if we complete these requests, we can earn Poké dollars or items in return, right?"

"Mm-hmm. Oh, and, hmm…I moved one of the Deposit Boxes from Post Town here, too. You should use it to, hmm, keep a handle on all your items and Poké dollars. And, mmm, I've started a shop as well. I haven't got many goods yet, but if you come talk to me, I'll show you what I can offer, hmm? If you see something you like, be sure to buy it, hmm?"

Silvy thanked Quagsire graciously.

"Thanks for all of this, Quagsire! You're such a huge help!"

I had to ask this out of curiosity,

"Why are you so nice to us, huh? You even helped us build our house."

"Hmmm. Well…mmm…I don't really know. Maybe… Maybe because you and Silvy are trying hard for something. Whenever I see someone trying their best, I just feel like, hmm, helping them out."

"Oh! I know exactly how you feel!" I said.

"I know I'm normally, mmm, pretty relaxed, but watching you and Silvy somehow gets me all worked up. Hoho…"

Quagsire began to feel embarrassed from his confession.

"So, hmm… Let me explain, mmm, how the Request Board works. You see there are all sorts of notes left on the board, hmm? Each is a request. Select a request that you'd like to fulfill for someone and, mmm, tear it right off. Next you'll take that note over to the Request Counter, hmm? Then if you hand the note to Azumarill…"

Azumarill then made her introduction.

"Hi there! Just talk to me whenever you're ready to go!"

Azumarill, the aqua rabbit Pokémon. She stood at her own themed counter awaiting our requests. She was as tall as Quagsire but more oval shaped. She had white bubbles on her belly that complimented her upper blue body. Her lower half was white while her feet and tail were blue and had a perfectly round sphere. What made her look cute in my eyes were here rabbit like ears.

"Then you'll be able to go to the dungeon you need to complete your request, hmm? That's, mmm, about it for my explanation. Pretty simple, hmm? Go on and, mmm, pick your very first ever request. Make it a good one, hmm?"

"Shin? Mind if I choose this time?"

"No, go right ahead. I'm excited to see what you'll pick out for us."

"Ok! Hmm, which one should I pick… I've got it! Let's do this one.

*Rip*

"Now I just give it to Azumarill, right?"

Silvy walked up to Azumarill's counter to hand over the flyer.

"Step right up! Welcome to the Request Counter! What sort of request will you be helping out with today?"

"This one, please."

"I see! I'll get everything ready for your departure!"

Just then, the door on the northeast corner opened up.

"Whoa! The doors opened by themselves!" I exclaimed.

"The Request Gate has been opened! Do your best in there!"

"That's how you do it, right?"

"Hmm, that's it exactly. Then all you have to do is go out through that Request Gate. You'll be taken to the proper dungeon, hmm? So what kind of request did you select, Silvy? I'm, hmm, rather curious. Will you let me steal a peek?"

Quagsire walked over to the counter and took a look at the flyer that Silvy handed over.

"Hmm, hmm…"

"'Please! I can't seem to find my way out of Stompstump Peak! I'd thought I could make it through this kind of mountain on my own, but before I knew it, I'd completely lost my way. I'm sorry to ask, but please help me!'"

-Dunsparce

"…Hmm. It's not a very glamorous request, is it? The Poké dollars you'll earn isn't much either."

"No, I think it's the perfect type of request Silvy would pick," I teased.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Silvy protested.

"You're sure you want this request, hmm?"

"Definitely! Out of all the requests on the board, this Pokémon seems to need our help the most. I don't think the reward is as important as helping out a Pokémon who really needs it."

"Hmm… Boo-hoo-hoooooom! I'm so, mmm, moved! Mm-hmm! I knew you two were good Pokémon!"

"I told you it was the perfect request that Silvy would pick."

Silvy is definitely the type to help those in need.

"Now all you need to do is leave the Center and go to that dungeon, hmm? Hurry and save that Pokémon. Mmm, mmm… Hmm."

"Right! Let's go, Shin!"

"Got it!"

We went back home for our belongings, purchased a couple of Oran Berries from Quagsire and then set off through the Request Gate.

When we passed through gate, there was sense of dizzying light flooding my eyes and the next moment I opened them, we were at Stompstump Peak. This place had four waterfalls that were fed by a fifth grand waterfall atop the highest, center plateau. There were rope ladders that were ruined and hanging from the cliffs on the east and west side. There were three ways to enter the caves, through the north, east and west. The problem with the north entrance was that it was across a rapidly flowing river. That left only the west and east caves to go through and search for Dunsparce.

"Which way do you think we should begin our search?" I asked.

"I don't know. How about you decide, Shin?" she suggested.

"Hmm… Well let's try going east then."

"Alright, I'll follow your lead then."

"You're going to follow me?"

"Yes, you picked the route so you take the lead," she said coyly.

"How unfair," I said wryly.

"How about this? If we don't find him through you way, we'll go back and I'll take the lead on the western path."

"When did you suddenly become cute?" I joked.

"I've always been cute!" she retorted.

With that, we went through the eastern cave with me on the vanguard.

We went through the Eastern Cave without many problems. The Pokémon we encountered on our ways to the hill that led to the exit, were mostly Sewaddle. From the experience I gathered from recent battles, I had become strong enough to take down Sewaddle without much effort. Since I was the vanguard, all the fighting fell upon me while Silvy supported.

When we exited the eastern cave, we were on top of the plateau. When we tried to get to the other side of the river, we were ambushed by a Petilil, the bulb Pokémon, and a Sewaddle. Petilil was a pure grass-type that resembled a flower bulb with three big leaves growing from its head. I didn't feel comfortable taking on a pure grass-type so I left if to Silvy. I took on Sewaddle and managed to finish it off without much trouble. Silvy as well took down Petilil without much effort.

When we tried to cross the river, we found our path blocked by a stack of logs piled neatly. I heaved the logs over into the river and watched them flow downstream and tumble down the waterfall. We crossed over and began searching for Dunsparce.

Save for a couple of trees, there really wasn't anything else on the plateau that was interest. Silvy was first to point this out

"We've kept an eye out this whole way, but…"

We both looked around again just to be sure, but…

"…there's still no sign of Dunsparce, huh?"

"Maybe if we keep going a bit farther…?"

An unknown voice then began to call out to us.

"Who's that? Who's over there?!"

We turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a Pokémon approach us.

"Dunsparce… Nope, clearly not. They don't really look like enemy Pokémon either, but…"

This Pokémon was an Emolga, the sky squirrel Pokémon. It seemed he was looking for Dunsparce as well. Silvy tried talking to him.

"Did you…just say Dunsparce? We're looking for Dunsparce as part of a request…"

"Request? Ohhh. That bulletin board thing. So there are still Pokémon desperate enough to work for that dinky reward, huh? Thanks, though. I could use your help. I'm Emolga. I'm looking for Dunsparce, too. Dunsparce is my best friend, got it? But… He's a bit of a coward, really…and he's always messing up… Pretty much whenever he does anything, he ends up needing someone to bail him out. So, you know, I was getting a bit worried and decided to look for him myself. If you guys happen to find him first, take care of him, would ya? See ya."

This guy. His attitude makes me wonder if he's rude, sincere or carefree about anything.

"Seems like Dunsparce causes quite a bit of worry, huh? But never mind that. If he's in trouble, we ought to help him! Let's move on, Shin."

"Right."

We steeled ourselves once more and began to head towards the western cave. I suggested we use the rope ladder that was ruined as a shortcut to get down the plateau. Silvy wanted to make sure it was safe to use before we used the ladder.

"Hmm…It looks like I could probably climb down this rope ladder. I'll go first."

I started my descent carefully. I made it to the halfway point when a plank gave away to my weight and caused me to fall.

Looks like we can't get up this way again.

I stared at the rope ladder for a bit before calling out to Silvy.

"Hey, Silvy! It's OK to come down. I'll be here to catch you just in case!"

Silvy nodded and then she began to climb down, but just like me, the plank in the middle gave way. I had to catch her in order for her to not get hurt. I caught her perfectly and made sure she was fine before putting her down gently. I then pointed towards the west cave and we headed there.

What's this? Why do I feel hot? Just a moment ago when Shin caught me, my heartbeat shot up…

Silvy had no idea she was staring at Shin while they both walked towards the western cave. She only managed to snap out of it when Shin pointed towards the north cave.

"Look, Silvy. The logs I pushed down are stuck between those rocks. If we could only find more logs, we could make a sort of bridge to get us across. Let's check up on the western plateau!"

There it is again. Whenever I see him sometimes, he has this glow that is bewitching. There must be something wrong with me.

Silvy continued to fumble her thoughts as they both entered the western cave.

As she promised, Silvy took the vanguard for this half of the cave and led me to the top. We encountered Bagon, the rock head Pokémon, as we ascended to the plateau level. Bagon was a dragon-type Pokémon so it left us both at a disadvantage as we battled them. Silvy, being the vanguard, would primarily attack leaving me to support and follow-up her attacks. The two of us had no trouble with Bagon as long as we worked together.

We exited out of the caves and just like the eastern plateau, found almost nothing except the usual plant life. As I thought, there was another pile of logs here. Hopefully, when pushed, they would join with the other logs to make a bridge for us to enter the northern cave.

Just like before, I pushed the logs and watched them as they fell down the waterfall. All that was left was to go down the rope ladder and head in to the next cave in search of Dunsparce.

Silvy allowed Shin to push the logs as he became insistent on doing it. She didn't really understand as to why he had to do it. She felt like she could have also done it.

Shin is pretty strong if I look at him from here, though.

Even though Shin had been together with her for a only a few days, the time spent together felt much longer. Together they battled together and became an exceptional team.

I know we'll need more Pokémon to join our cause, but…I feel like it would be nice if it could be just the two of us for a little longer.

It was a complex feeling that Silvy felt, one she wasn't quite sure she understood. Regardless, she shook those thoughts away and led Shin to the rope ladder. As she thought it was the same ruined rope ladder. This time she had to climb down first and wait for Shin to come down

If possible I'd rather Shln go down and catch me…. Maybe if I asked him to go down first?

"Shin, I know this is sudden but would you mind climbing down first? It'd be safer if you climbed down and looked out for me in case I happen to fall again."

"Makes sense. Then I'll go on ahead and wait for you down there."

I did it! Now I just need to go down the ladder and…

Silvy didn't complete her thought as a Bagon came charging at her from behind without her noticing. Before she could begin to climb down, she was tackled and launched over the cliff.

"Silvy!"

I could only cry Silvy's name as she fell over the cliff. I did my best to place myself where I thought she would land and braced myself to catch her.

"Waaaaah!"

Here she comes…!

"Urgh!" "Aghh!"

Although I managed to catch her, the force of her landing really made it painful to catch her. Luckily the distance between the plateau and the ground level wasn't all that much so that did help on its own.

"Are you alright Silvy?"

She didn't answer because she looked speechless. She must have still been in shock from suddenly being pushed down like that.

What could have caused her to fall?

I looked up to where she was and noticed a Bagon staring at us.

"So that's it. You were pushed without knowing…"

"Umm…could you let me down now?"

"Oh! S-sorry!"

I didn't realize that I was still carrying her, so I quickly set her down. She must have been angry as her face a tinge of red to it.

"Uh…Sorry about that, Silvy."

"It's okay. Let's just hurry and fine Dunsparce."

Uuu…she sounds mad. I'll take the lead and give her some space

"Yeah, okay. I'll take the lead then."

We walked towards the makeshift bridge that was formed by the logs. The logs that were pushed from the western plateau had drifted here where they joined together with the logs of the eastern plateau. This allowed us to cross and enter the northern cave.

Going through the northern cave was of no problem. We met Bagon and Petilil as foes but together we had no difficulty. Even Silvy's mood improved as we focused on finding Dunsparce.

We had managed to come into an empty room as we went deeper into this cave. It didn't appear to be a rest room but it felt like there was something definitely here.

"Looks like Dunsparce isn't here either. Should we keep going a bit farther?"

"Yeah. We shouldn't give up just yet."

We both agreed to continue further, but something had caught Silvy's eye.

"Huh?! Shin, over there! Look! Do you see something sparkling?"

Silvy ran towards the area that was sparkling.

"Whoa! They're beautiful!" Silvy exclaimed.

"These are…probably crystals, huh?"

"They're so clear, but they still reflect light like crazy. Look! When you look into one like this, you can see yourself. It's like a mirror!"

Hahah. I guess even Silvy likes these kinds of things. It's charming.

"Check it out, Shin!"

She beckoned me to get a closer look of the crystals.

"It's true. I can clearly see my own figure in this perfect reflection!"

….though I had almost forgotten…that I now look like…Pickachu. Has it really only been three days?

"We could use these to decorate our house. Let's take some with us, yeah?"

Silvy then began to pick some crystals that looked especially beautiful.

"Sorry for the holdup, Shin. Let's get going again."

"Right."

With Silvy carrying the crystals, we continued going deeper into the cave.

The path started to make rise and it felt as if were at the height of the northern plateau. We could see the exit and picked up our pace as a good deal of time had passed with still no sign of Dunsparce

"We've come pretty far up... Ah! Shin! Over there! That's probably Dunsparce, wouldn't you say? Let's go ask!"

Silvy could see a Pokémon moving about in a nervous manner. She thought it was Dunsparce but wanted to make sure. We walked up to this Pokémon to ask about it.

"Ohhh… What am I going to do… Ah!"

"You must be Dunsparce, right?"

"Y-yes! I am!"

"What a relief. We came because we saw your request. We're here to save you!

"Hey, hey… It's OK now. We're just glad you aren't hurt!"

Silvy consoled Dunsparce as he began to cry. Then we could hear a familiar voice calling for Dunsparce.

"Dunspaaarce!"

"Emolga!"

"Thank goodness! So this is where you were! You guys found him, huh? Thanks. We owe you big time!"

Emolga and Dunsparce thanked us once again and all four of us decided to head back to Paradise together.

"Shin! Silvy! Thank you so much for rescuing me!"

Dunsparce gave his thanks to us and handed us the rewarded he posted: A Blast Seed, a Red Key and 100 Poké dollars.

"Hmm! Shin and Silvy! You completed your first request successfully. That's wonderful, hmm?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Quagsire!"

Emolga took this chance to chastise Dunsparce for going off on his own.

"I'm glad we found you this time, but you've gotta stop being so reckless!"

"Ugh… I know. I really want to be the kind of Pokémon who does the rescuing, you know… But I'm not strong and I get afraid…and then I always lose my nerve when the big moment arrives. I always mess up, and then I have to be the one gets rescued in the end… I guess I'm just really not cut out to be an adventurer…"

"That…that's not true! I mean, sure, you're a bit of a coward and so things don't always go so well. But your heart is in the right place, right? That's pretty hard to find these days."

"So you want to be an adventurer, too, Dunsparce?" I asked.

"Yes! It's my dream to become a first-rate adventurer. It would be nice to explore all kinds of different places on adventures, of course…

Haha. Sounds like someone I know, I thought while sneaking a glance at Silvy.

"But really…I'd just like to help Pokémon around the world who are in trouble! I want to be able to give courage and hope to Pokémon who are suffering! I just want to be useful – even a little! Th-that's my dream anyway. But… There's a huge gap between dreams and reality and no matter what I do, I can't…"

"Hey, that's not true! I think that's a great dream. Don't worry. If you just keep trying, I'm sure your dream will come true."

"Listen to Silvy, Dunsparce. She knows what she's talking to about." I said.

Emolga wanted to know why Dunsparce went to Stompstomp Peak.

"But why'd you try going someplace like Stompstomp Peak again?"

"I wanted a crystal. I'd heard that the crystals in Stompstomp Peak are beautiful…"

"…Crystals? Huh? Do you mean… You must mean…"

Silvy thought back to the time we found those gems lying on the ground.

"We picked some up as we were climbing Stompstump Peak… Found it! Here you go."

Silvy grabbed a crystal from her bag and placed it in front of Dunsparce.

"Is this what you were talking about?"

"Ahh! That's it! This is it! This is the crystal I wanted! Wow, it really is beautiful!"

"Yeah? Then it's yours!"

"What?! Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I just picked it up because it was pretty… But if you want it, it's yours."

Silvy then gave the crystal to Dunsparce.

"Th-thank you!"

"But why did you want one of these cyrstals?"

"Oh! I… Um, that's –I—! You see…"

Dunsparce was starting to get visibly flustered at the mention of his reason for wanting to have the crystal. He was even blushing at the thought. There was only one reason for this.

"Hoho…"

"Aha! So that's it! You wily scamp! So that's what you were after, huh?"

Silvy looked confused at what Emolga realized. This should be obvious for girls, right?

"…? What was he after?"

At the same time, a new Pokémon strolled into Post Town. She had captured the attention of all without so much as making a sound. All eyes were on her. She was tall beauty wrapped in a grass colored coat. She had fins that stuck out from her neck and had a crimson color at the tips. Her horns gave her head the form of a V. Her legs looked as if she was wearing boots. She really gave the feeling of a cool beauty as she walked towards the restaurant, not even giving a second glance to the Pokémon that were shooting hearts at her.

"She looks perfect again today!"

"Ahh! I can hardly stand it!"

"Beautiful as ever."

"She's a sight for sore eyes!"

When she walked into the restaurant, Swanna greeted her as she walked towards Gurdurr's table.

"Ah! My lovely Virizion!"

"Wow! It's really her!"

"Is this seat taken?" 

"Ah…B-be my guest…"

Virizion took her place while everyone gathered around her and others piled into the restaurant from outside.

"…So she's, uh…really popular, huh? So that Pokémon called Virizion is the one you admire?"

"…Y-yes… Hoho…"

Silvy questioned Dunsparce about his crush as she stared into the restaurant. She would catch glimpses of Virizion, the grassland Pokémon, as the others around her shuffled around in order to get closer to her. Dunsparce, himself, was lost in fantasies when he chuckled at his embarrassment.

"Dunsparce has adored Virizion from the first time he laid eyes on her. He really wants her to be his friend," Emolga explained.

"So that's it. He wanted those crystals as a gift for Virizion," I said.

"Dunsparce! This is your big chance! Go and give 'er the crystal, buddy!"

"What?! I…I can't do that! I really, really want to be friends with Virizion! But…how could I ever be brave enough to talk to someone like her? There's no way she'd even notice someone like me."

"That's all right," Silvy encouraged, "you've just got to try. I'll go and talk to her for you! Come one!"

"Whaaaaaat?!"

"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"

Silvy really was trying hard to give Dunsparce some courage to talk to Virizion. I wanted to help him too, but Silvy seemed to know more than I did about romance.

"Let's go!"

Silvy looked at all of us and guided us to Virizion.

"Wait… You guys! Hey!"

Inside was filled with abuzz over Virizion. Silvy really had to push and pull people in order for all four of us to have an audience with Virizion.

"…Really? So you just recently came to this town, too, huh, Virizion? And you've been traveling wherever you felt like until know?" Silvy asked.

"Yeah. That about sums it up. Though it's not like I don't have any goal… But you could basically say that I go wherever the whim takes me. I came to this town because there was something I wanted to see here."

Intrigued by this I asked,

"Oh? What's that?"

"The Rainbows of Hope."

"The Rainbows…of Hope?"

"The Rainbows of Hope! I've heard of them, too!" Emolga said.

"Aye, those rainbows were once the mos' famous sight tae be seen in this land. Used tae appear all the time o'er the town. The mysterious sight o' those overlappin' rainbows... Och, but it was a fair sight to see! Ye felt warmed tae the very cockles of yer heart!" Herdier explained.

Rufflet added, "Yeah, all of us here used to look at those rainbows…and we'd think, 'Man, I hope they'll come back again tomorrow!' You'd feel like…you could give it your all again after seeing 'em. Having that kind of hope for tomorrow was why could give it our all every day. Looking at the rainbows somehow gave everybody that hope. And so we all just somehow started calling them the Rainbows of Hope."

"But, alas, those fair rainbows havnae appeared for many's the long day. I dinnae ken if it has anything tae do with those blasted Mystery Dungeons, but… The one thing that's for certain is the rainbows dinnae appear anymore."

"I heard rumors that the rainbows couldn't be seen any longer," Virizion said, "but I still wanted to see them, you know? I thought that maybe if I came here, I'd find out that they had returned. But it looks like it's no use. I won't be able to see them after all…"

Silvy looked disappointed at the thought of this. "Right… That's a real shame. The Rainbows of Hope, huh… I sure would've liked to see them, too."

"Ahem. Silvy, don't you think there's someone else who wants to talk to Virizion?"

Silvy only sulked for a minute before she realized why we came here in the first place.

"Oh, yeah! By the way Virizion… I know this Pokémon who really wants you to be his friend."

"His friend?"

"Yeah."

"Ummm… Well… Th-this is…"

Dunsparce stepped up nervously at the mention of him. He then took out the crystal and presented it to Virizion.

"This crystal is for you, Miss Virizion!"

"A gift?"

"Yes! That's right! P-please! Please be my friend!"

Everyone's eyes went from Dunsparce as they all held their breaths.

"Thank you for the gift. It's lovely. But… While it is very sweet of you…I can't accept it."

The whole room was stunned at Virizion's declaration.

"What? Why?" Silvy demanded.

"I don't make friends. I'm sorry."

Dunsparce looked completely devastated.

"Wha… Wait—what?"

"I'm sorry, but with the world we live in… I just don't believe in things like friends. If you were strong, I might be able to consider you as some kind of ally. If you were strong, then at least you could help me out in some way. But you…well, you aren't very strong, are you?"

"Sniffle…sniffle…"

Dunsparce was trying very hard to hold back his imminent tears. Emolga tried to console his friend.

"D…Dunsparce…"

"Sniff… I… Waaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Dunsparce couldn't hold it in so he ran outside, crying.

"Dunspaaarce! Virizion! That was so cold! What is wrong with you?! You could've just accepted his gift, you know! Argh!"

Emolga, after yelling at Virizion, chased after Dunsparce. Even I couldn't hold myself back at Virizion's ruthless words. Before I could say anything, Silvy attacked first.

"Emolga's right, you know. Don't you think that was a bit much?!"

"The world's full of cheaters, thieves, and liars. There's nothing to believe in anymore. Someone who acts nice to you always has an ulterior motive. You can't just believe anyone who flatters you with pretty words."

"How damaged do you have to be in order to believe that all nice people are cheaters…?" I whispered.

"Making friends will just lead to heartache and disappointment. That's why I just don't have any."

Is that what happened to you Virizion?

"That… That's not…"

"How could you feel any other way in this kind of world? You understand, don't you?"

She finished her meal and thanked Swanna for the food. She then got up and left, leaving behind all of us who could not object to her judgment. Beneath Virizion's cold words, there lied a harsh truth. It was this truth that prevented Silvy from any kind of response. We both have experienced this truth first hand. There was no way to go against it. It was frustrating.

Right after Virizion left, the entire room burst into laughter and celebration.

"Bwahahaaa! She turned him down!"

We were surprised by Gurdurr's mockery of Dunsparce.

"Dunsparce was totally rejected!"

The whole room was in agreement about Dunsparce being rejected.

Really. Being festive because someone got rejected. These guys are crazy.

"Hey, you see that? Just now."

"Sure did… Looks like we've found the latest victim."

"Wanna follow him?"

"Let's do it."

Two Pokémon that were not celebrating quietly left the restaurant in pursuit of their next prey.

"Wha-what? What's wrong with you all? Why are you all celebrating?!" Silvy asked.

"Well, the truth is, we all… Every last one of us here has been rejected by the lovely Virizion," answered Timburr

"What? All of you? Wait. Everyone? Really? Even the Signora? No way! Who wouldn't want to be friends with you, Swanna?"

"Hohoho… Well, Virizion is pretty set in her ways. But I had to try. Everyone wants to be Virizion's friend. Such a lovely girl…"

"That's…just an amazing," I said.

"Trying to get the lovely Virizion to be your friend and getting crushed in return... It's like a gauntlet we've all gotta run… It's practically become a town tradition! When it comes right down to it, if we didn't laugh it off every time she turns one of us down…we'd be done for! Bwaaahaaahaaaaaah!"

""Bwaaahaaahaaaaaah!""

It seems even Gurdurr and the rest of the Pokémon here had their chances and could not get past Virizion's ice wall.

"…What's wrong with everyone?! But I guess celebrating might be one good way to distract yourself from the pain… But I don't think Dunsparce is quite as thick-skinned as this lot. Shin, I think I really stuck my foot in it this time…"

"Don't beat yourself up, Silvy. You had no way of knowing this would happen. You were only trying to help a Pokémon in need and that's just like you." I said, trying to console Silvy.

"Thanks, Shin. It means a lot coming from you. But, I just can't help worrying about Dunsparce. Let's go find him."

"I'm right behind you."

We started our search for Dunsparce by looking through Post Town from top to bottom. To make things progress easier, we decided to split up. I volunteered to check the upper plateaus while Silvy looked here at ground level. I climbed the stairs all the way to top to see if he was there. The top most plateau was used more for sightseeing or a play area. It had a small pond that then fell into the pond at ground level.

Seeing as I was on the high ground, I took the opportunity to scan Post Town. From where I was, I couldn't see Dunsparce anywhere. If he wasn't in Post Town, then he must have gone towards the crossroad. I made my way down to the town gate as that was the place we were supposed to meet up after searching.

"I don't see Dunsparce anywhere…"

"Yeah, I looked from the top over there and I couldn't see him anywhere at all."

"Argh! Where could he have run off to? Ah! Quagsire!"

Quagsire had leisurely just strolled into town and Silvy decided to ask him about Dunsparce.

"Something the matter, hmm?"

"Quagsire, have you seen Dunsparce?"

"Dunsparce? Oh, that Pokémon the two of you saved, hmm? If that's who you mean, hmm… I did see him a few minutes ago."

"What? Where?"

"I passed by him right over there, hmm? He was with some, hmm, strange Pokémon I'd never seen before."

Quagsire then began to recount where he saw Dunsparce.

"As I walked by, I heard the three of them talking together, hmm?"

"'You wanna get strong, don't you? Just come with us. We'll make that wish come true.'"

"'R-really?!'"

"'Oh, yeah. No problem. We've got a real simple way to get stronger. By the way… You do have Poké dollars, right?'"

"'Y-yeah."

"'Sweet. We're the Pawniard Brothers. Good to know you. There's a place not too far from here called Desolate Canyon. Training there'll make this a breeze. Let's roll.'"

"That's about what they said, hmm? Then the three of them, mmm, went off somewhere together."

"Is that true? You're sure?!"

"Hmm? Is that suprising a story, hmm? Hmm… That's curious. You know, just before I ran into you another Pokémon heard the story and reacted, hmm, much the same."

"Wha-?"

"It must have been Emolga!"

"Yes, hmm, it was. The second Emolga heard that story about Dunsparce, he… Well, hmm…he seemed as shocked as you two do right now. Then he turned pale and ran off somewhere, mmm, in a flash."

"Shin!"

"Sounds like Dunsparce is in serious trouble!"

"You're certain the place was called Desolate Canyon, right?"

"Hmm, that's what I recall hearing."

That's all we needed to know. We both then dashed out of the gate without concern about anything else.

"Wait a moment…hmm… Do you think something happened, mmm?"

Even the Pokémon behind Quagsire, who had looking at the commotion caused by us, looked interested as to why the both of us ran off so quickly.

"I'm pretty much sure of it. Tempted by those promised that he could get stronger…"

"Dunsparce was lured away by some weird Pokémon. It's gotta be that."

"Emolga's probably afraid of the same thing! That's why he's hurrying to Desolate Canyon."

"Then let's get going now, Silvy! To Desolate Canyon!"

Desolate Canyon was a dreary and ominous place. The sky was constantly shrouded in thunderclouds yet no thunder could be heard. The colors of the rocks were all grey or a light shade of black. Even the plants here looked somewhat darker. The paths in the canyon were tight corridors that made it difficult to walk through. Whenever there was a battle we would have to trade places with each other whenever we fought in a corridor.

The Pokémon that resided here had a fierce look to them. Vullaby, the diapered Pokémon, was a flying Pokémon that resembled a vulture's chick but proved no match against my electric attacks. Foongus, the mushroom Pokémon, was a poison type so Silvy had to be especially careful whenever we encountered it. Blitzle, the electrified Pokémon, was another Pokémon we encountered. This electric-type Pokémon had the nasty ability to use itself as a lightning rod and use the acquired electricity to amplify its own attacks. I could only leave the battling to Silvy as I acted as a decoy for her when Blitzel was an opponent.

This canyon seemed to be quite short compared to all the other areas we've been to it. Maybe it was because we were not taking our time walking to our destination but desperately running and only resting when necessary to find Dunsparce. We only hoped that Dunsparce and Emolga were not in any danger.

Meanwhile, Dunsparce was being led by the Pawniard Brothers farther and farther away from Post Town. Dunsparce was becoming increasingly anxious as he noticed how far away he was from home. The Pawniard brothers said they had a place for Dunsparce to train at but none of the two had said a word since stepping into Desolate Canyon. It had become clear that something was wrong.

Dunsparce decided to stop going with them and turn around for home.

"Huh? What's the problem?"

"I-I think… I think I'd better go home after all…"

"Go home? Why?"

"I…I was really upset back in town… When I heard what you two were saying, I thought, 'I want to be strong right away!' And that's why I came this far, but… But… I'm not sure just getting stronger… is what I really want…"

"…"

"A-and besides… When I really think about it…no one can become strong just like that, right?"

"… …"

"So I-I…I'm going home. Good-bye!"

Dunsparce made a dash towards the direction from where they came from.

"Stop right there, runt!"

"Eek!"

"Heheheh! So you figured it out. Clever little runt. But don't you think it's a bit too late for that?

"That's right. It's just like you said. There's no simple way to get strong! Kahahah!"

"What we're after is Poké dollars. So out with it! Hand over the cash! And all your stuff, too! If you hand it all over without a fight, we'll let you off easy this time!"

"Ugh…"

"Don't you touch Dunsparce!"

"Emolga!"

"Freeze, you two! Don't you move a muscle! Dunsparce is my best friend, you hear!"

"Kahaha! Hmph! Friends, huh?"

"I don't care either way, but—you planning to fight us? You think you can win? Against us?"

"Hey, sounds good to me. We'll just take this guy's stuff, too!"

"Heeey! Dunsparce!"

"Look, Silvy! There they are!"

"You're right. I can see them! Hey! Dunsparece!"

We spotted them after rushing through Desolate Canyon as fast as we could. We saw that Dunsparce was cowering before the two Pawniard. But then Emolga came in and tried to diffuse the situation. We thought it better to hurry up and help Emolga and Dunsparce.

"Silvy!"

"Shin!"

"Thank goodness! Looks like we're still in time! Dunsparce… I'm sorry about what happened in town… I…"

"Silvy…"

"Hmph! How about, it bullies? Whatcha gonna do now? Your chances don't look so good now, do they?"

Now that we had an advantage in numbers, Emolga gave them a chance to back away. The Pawniard Brothers only stood there with smug expressions.

Don't tell me they…!

"Heheheh!"

"Kahahah! So, Emolga or whatever your name is…you've got us surrounded, huh? You think this is a battle that'll just come down to sheer numbers, do you?"

…Uh-oh! I knew it-!

"Hehehe! If that's true, then… How about this?! It's your turn, lads!"

""Aye-aye""

At Pawniard's command, the group that lay in hiding suddenly burst forth and surrounded us. Two Galvantula, the elespider Pokémon, and two Venipede, the centipede Pokémon, surrounded us along with the Pawniard Brothers. It had become a one versus three situation. They had us at a disadvantage in numbers. The Venipede's were very large compared to us. Their head, tail and part of their thorax had a burgundy coloring to it while sharing black colored patterns and the other part of their thorax being a jade color. Galvantula resembled a tarantula as it had four legs and two small arms. Its body consisted mostly of a normal shade of yellow with an indigo underbelly and indigo stripes on its thorax. Both of these Pokémon gave the sense that they could easily poison their opponents.

"Wha-!"

"Whoaaa!"

"So, Emolga. Now it's YOUR chances that don't so good, yeah? Kahahah!"

"The side with the bigger numbers wins, isn't that what you thought? Heheheh!"

"Urgh!"

"Emolga! Everybody! I'm going to fight! You don't need to protect me! I will fight and I won't be afraid! I promise! So you should all-!"

"Dunsparce…"

"That's the spirit, Dunsparce!" Silvy encouraged.

"Well said! Go for it, Dunsparce!" I said.

Having had enough, the Pawniard Brothers readied their allies to move.

"Dear me. You seem to be completely surrounded now, don't you?

"Well then, I guess it's about time to wrap things up here.

"Come on, lads! All together now! YAAAAAAAAARRRRRHHHH!"

They were about to make their move upon us. All four of us readied ourselves for a gruesome fight until suddenly a voiced pierced the air.

"Hold it right there!"

This voice…! Virizion!?

"Wh-who's there?"

"Who're you?"

Silvy knew who that Pokémon was.

"Virizion!"

It was Virizion that called out to the Pawniard Brothers. It had appeared she followed us into Desolate Canyon. But why was she here?

"You…" Dunsparce whispered.

"Pawniard! You told Emolga and these other Pokémon that they were surrounded, didn't you? And yet… Who's surrounded now?

The Pokémon that came along with Virizion took that as their queue and made their appearance known.

"GURDURRRRRR!"

"It's Gurdurr!" I said excitedly.

"And the Timburr!" Silvy exclaimed.

"Hey, Pawniard Brothers!" Gurdurr yelled, "Silvy and Shin are my precious customers, y 'hear?"

"If anything happens to our customers…"

"…you won't be getting off easy!"

"Taking advantage of the weakness in Dunsparce's heart with this dirty plot… You two…really are pathetic, aren't you?"

"Urk! Like we'll loss to you fools!"

"Everyone! Get ready! Here they come!" I warned.

"Let's get 'em, lads!"

""WHOOOAAA!""

Despite being outnumbered once again, they still would not go down without a fight. They fought on with their six against our 8.

From where we were positioned, Gurdurr and I had the southeastern corner against a Venipede; Silvy was squaring off with another Venipede in the southwestern corner; Emolga and a Timburr were up against a Galvantula in the northwestern corner; Virizion was facing against the Pawniard Brothers in the northern corner; Dunsparce and the other Timburr were paired against the other Galvantula. Each of us had an opponent, but two of did not have a partner to help against their opponent. If I wanted to help Silvy or Virizion, then I needed to end Venipede.

Luckily, my partner was Gurdurr. I knew firsthand how strong Gurdurr was, so together we took on Venipede. I started my attack on Venipede by taking the initiative with a Quick Attack. When I staggered Venipede, Gurdurr struck Venipede with his steel beam, landing a powerful Pound. I didn't give Venipede any time to breath as I finished Venipede off with an effective Thundershock.

Timburr and Emolga were taking on Galvantula with some difficulty. Emolga was distracting Galvantula by provoking its attacks and being the center of attention. Timburr would then use Low Kick to not only deal damage but to trip Galvantula. When Galvantula would fall, Emolga would seize the chance and use a Thundershock to deliver some damage.

Surprisingly, Dunsparce was holding himself pretty well. Although he said he was incompetent in a battle, Dunsparce was holding his own very well. Dunsparce would use a classic combination attack that proved difficult to counter: he would use Defense Curl to boost his defense against attacks. After that, he would follow up by using Rollout. Rollout was a move that made the user curl into a ball and then continuously attack. When using it in conjunction with Defense Curl, Rollout would gain a damage boost making it a devastating attack. The enemy Galvantula was definitely surprised that Dunsparce was pushing him back. Even Timburr was surprised as he was just supporting Dunsparce's oppressive attacks.

Silvy was having trouble because she was paired up against a terrible match-up. Venipede was a Bug and Poison-type Pokémon proving a really bad match-up against a Grass-type. Having finished off our Venipede, I rushed to Silvy's side.

"Need some help?"

"Here I thought I was alone."

"Of course not! I'll always be here to help you out!"

"Heheh."

She could only laugh at our bantar as we gave Venipede a taste of our teamwork. While I was helping Silvy, I told Gurdurr to help out anyone else that needed. He must have wanted to rush to Virizion's side as soon as he was able as I never saw Gurdurr run that fast, even when we battled each other.

Virizion, on the other hand, was calmly taking the moves of the Pawniard Brothers head on.

"What's the matter? Paralyzed with fear?"

"What happened to all your talk about being surrounded?"

"I think you're the one who is really pathetic!"

As they continued to attack Virizion, she simply stood there, as if waiting. The Pawniard Brothers still continued to use their move Pursuit against Virizion. What they didn't know that their move, Pursuit, was the worst possible move type to use against Virizion.

What the Pawniard Brothers failed to realize was that Virizion had an ability that made her stronger for each strike she suffered from a dark-type move. Her ability, Justified, allowed her attack power to increase for each subsequent dark-type move that hit her. When Virizion finally decided to dodge their moves, Virizion quickly then closed the distance and unleashed an incredibly devastating Double Kick.

The first Pawniard did not even had a chance to make any cry of pain as he was knocked out before he realized what happened. The second Pawniard, dumbfounded by what had happened, was struck with fear the likes he had never known. He couldn't even cry or mourn for his brother as Virizion rushed Pawniard and delivered a coup de grâce.

All of us finshed off our opponents and were about to go to Virizion's aide. Instead of hurrying to help her, we witnessed her deliver a decisive blow against the last Pawniard. We couldn't help but stare in awe in the splendor of Virizion's grace in battle.

When all enemies were defeated, we gathered them all in front of us to confront them about their actions. One Pawniard managed to regain consciousness while the others came to.

"Ngh… Ugh!"

"Aughhh…"

"Gahhhhh!"

The others looked at each other nervously as the Pawniard Brothers collapsed again from the pain.

""L—Let's get outta here!"

The Venipedes and the Galvantulas all ran away, leaving the Pawniard Brothers alone.

"W-wait, you spineless little…"

"We… We're coming, too!"

"Waaauuugh!"

Seeing as their allies had run away, the Pawniard Brothers lost their nerve and ran away along with them.

"We… We beat 'em! We really chased away the bad guys! We did it!" Emolga cried.

Everyone was happy that everything turned out all right. We all celebrated for a job well done.

"But… How did you all end up here?" Silvy asked.

"Or lovely Virizion told us. She said Dunsparce was in trouble," answered Gurdurr.

"Virizion did?" I asked.

"Well, I did see you," she said, "I happened to see you talking with Quagsire. I didn't hear everything, but…it was enough to put the pieces together."

"So that's what happened…" I said.

"It's…it's finally over!"

Dunsparce collapsed from the fatigue and tension he went through today.

"Dunsparce! You OK?" Emolga asked worryingly.

"Yeah… I guess I got rescued again, huh? But I…was actually gullible enough to believe I could be strong just like that… It was all because of me that you all… Ahh, I really am useless aren't I…"

"That's not true! You realized it before it went too far, didn't you? That it's not that easy to get strong. If you hadn't, we would've been way worse off! We might've had to fight those bullies on their own turf instead of here in the open! I'm glad they didn't take you all the way to their hideout. And besides… You fought bravely to the end, without giving in to fear, right? You did good, Dunsparce. I for one think you gave it you all."

"Emolga…"

"I have to apologize," Virizion interjected, "it was my fault that you felt like you had to get stronger. I am sorry about that. But… Bad Pokémon are always looking to take advantage of gullible Pokémon like you. You trust others way too easily. You can't live like that these days, you know? You just can't trust other Pokémon, not in the world we live in now."

"I wonder if you're right about that…" Silvy said.

Silvy's comment made all of us turn to her for further clarification.

"It's true that you probably shouldn't just trust anyone you meet right away, but… But…is trusting one another really such a terrible thing? Is it so wrong to believe in someone? I know there are a lot of dishonest Pokémon out these days. But if you take that first step…then no one else is ever going to open up and trust you either, are they?"

"… …"

I then stepped up and pitched my opinion.

"You were right when you said that Dunsparce isn't strong. He's not. But…at least he can trust. That trust will make us a real force to be reckoned with! I think…I think that trusting one another shows real strength. I think it's the realest strength we have."

"Shin…"

"So Silvy, isn't there something you want to ask?"

"Eh? What do you—how did you know?"

Silvy became flustered as I saw right through her plans. She can be cute when she is flustered like that.

"Go on. You are our leader, after all."

"What are you talking about? We're a team and I never said I was the leader!"

I can only laugh as Silvy got mad at my teasing.

"Anyway, I have to ask… Dunsparce? And you too, Emolga… Why don't you two

come be part of our Paradise?"

"Wha-?"

"Y-you want us?!"

"I do. We're gonna make a Pokémon Paradise, you see."

"A Pokémon Paradise?" Virizion whispered.

"We're gonna go on all kinds of adventures and find lots of treasures. We'll enjoy every day full of excitement and fun together! My dream is to make a real paradise!"

"Wow!"

"I'm going to need good friends to help me along the way. No—I'm going to need GREAT friends…just like you two. Don't you agree, Shin?"

"Of course!"

"A-are you sure? I mean, I'm not…"

"We're sure."

"Then I…I definitely want to join you!"

"I… Well, I don't really mind, if that's what Dunsparce wants to do."

"Alright! Thanks, you two! We did it, Shin! We're finally on our way…to making our Paradise!"

"Shin! Silvy! I'm going to do my best! Let's make a real paradise together!"

"Guess I don't have much choice then… I'll give it my all, too! Let's do this!"

"You say that, but from what I can see, you wanted to join too huh, Emolga?" I teased.

"Hey! That's not…!"

We all laughed as we celebrated new members joining our cause. Just then, Virizion walked up to us sheepishly.

"Er… Do you mind if I interrupt? I have a request for you all. Will you… Will you let me join your Paradise as well?

""What?""

"The lovely Virizion is—"

"—going to join Shin and Silvy?!" 

"You-! What do you think you're trying to pull now, huh?! What happened to all your big talk about not making friends? Not trusting anyone? You just say whatever comes into your head, don't you? You're messing with us! If you're just toying with us, then we don't need you in our Paradise!"

"Toying with you… Yes, I can see how you would think that. I won't make any excuses for my behavior… But…even saying that… Is there no way you can let me be a part of your Paradise?"

Emolga was beginning to become increasingly irritated at Virizion's unreasonable request. Although I could understand where Emolga was coming from, just outright refusing Virizion seemed wrong to me.

"I…I do NOT approve! No way! Come on, Silvy! Tell her to hit the road!"

"…"

"Silvy?" I said worryingly.

"…OK. You can be a part of Paradise, too."

""WHAAAAAAAAAT?!""

Everyone was surprised, especially Emolga, at Silvy's decision to allow Virizion to join us.

"Why should I have to be friends with someone like her?! I'll never accept you, you hear? Right, Dunsparce? You've gotta feel the same, don't you?"

"I… I… Hoho…"

Dunsparce was once again star struck from the idea of being close to Virizion from now on.

"Whaaaaaat?!"

"But if you're going to be one of us…" I said, "then that means you'll have to trust us. You'll have to believe in all of us. Can you do that?"

"Hehe. I'll just have to try."

"Then that's all we can ask for."

"Then I guess it's decided! As of today, Virizion is also one of us!"

"Thanks."

"I'm not OK with this, Silvy. Seriously not OK. Just so you know."

"Aww, don't be like that…"

"Why would you even want someone like that in your Paradise?!"

"S-sorry… It was the first time that someone actually asked to join… I got so excited that I honestly didn't even think before saying yes…"

"Wha-what kind of reason is that?!"

Emolga was still fuming while Silvy was still excited that someone requested to join her Paradise. Dunsparce was still star struck and I just couldn't help but laugh at all the commotion. I laughed my share before trying to calm down Emolga's fuming.

"Well… It looks like I've caused a bit of a fight, but… I'm looking forward to working together with you all. I guess I'll be heading back first, then. Gurdurr."

"Yes, my lovely Virizion?"

"What you said…back there…"

It turns out that when Virizion went to Gurdurr and asked for his help to save Dunsparce,

"What! Dunsparce is-?! Got it! Then I'm going, too!"

"Boss! We'll go with you!"

"What a fool… This only happened because he believes any old Pokémon he meets. They should be headed for Desolate Canyon. Come at once, would you?"

Virizion then started to make her way out when Gurdurr called out to her.

"Hold on. You know, my lovely Virizion… You may act like you don't trust anyone or anything in this rotten world… But Shin and Silvy alone are, well, don't you underestimate them."

"… …. …"

"I used to be the same as you once… I didn't have any faith left in the world. But unlike you, my lovely, I…I crossed the line and did bad things to other Pokémon. Until quite recently, in fact. But… Meeting Shin and Silvy…it changed the way I thought about things. Every time I see those two, I think… This world isn't worth giving up on yet."

"… … …"

"I think…I might understand now what you were trying to tell me."

"H-hmph! Did I say something like that?"

"Hehe, no need to act so bashful. Oh, never mind."

But… I had been thinking it was about time to leave Post Town… Perhaps sticking around isn't a bad idea either, though. If I stay here, I feel like I might finally find it. That one precious thing I've been searching for…

These were the thoughts that no one could hear. The wish she held in her heart seemed to have come back to life as she watched the group of friends merrily chat with each other.

The next morning…

"Morning, Shin! I still can't believe we got more Pokémon to join our Paradise yesterday! And three at once! Now there are five of us altogether! And once you have four or more Pokémon you can register as a team!"

"A team?"

"Yeah! It's pretty rough working as an adventurer, after all. So to support Pokémon like us the group known as Helping Adventurous Pokémon Prosper Institute was formed.

"H-Helping Adventurous…what? "

"I know. It's a real mouthful, so everyone just calls it HAPPI. HAPPI's around to help make adventuring safer for everyone. So when you get at least four Pokémon together, they'll recognize you as a team! And they'll give you all kinds of support and useful items for your adventures."

From outside, we could hear a voice calling us.

"Shin! Silvy!"

"Oh! Isn't that Dunsparce? Everyone musts be here already!"

"Let's go and greet them then."

We came outside to meet Virzion, Dunsparce, and Emolga. But there was also an unfamiliar Pokémon waiting along with everyone.

"Morning, everyone!"

"Hehe. And a good morning to you."

"Good morning!"

"Morning, Shin and Silvy! Hey, Silvy… It looks like Pelipper's here with some kinda delivery for you.

Pelipper then came over to Silvy and handed over a letter to her. Pelipper, the water bird Pokémon, was a pelican themed Pokémon. Its mouth covered most of its body and had large wings to compensate.

"It's from HAPPI!"

"No way! What does it say?"

"Lemme see… It says…if we write our team name on this form and send it back to them…then we will be registered as a team!"

"We're going to form a team?" Dunsparce asked.

"Yup! I requested an application early, just in case. I never thought we'd get a reply this fast!"

"Sounds good to me. If we become a team and get Team Badges, we could take on anything!" Emolga said excitedly.

Dunsparce was also excited at the formation of a team. "OK, then we should start thinking of a team name!"

"Yeah! That's right! Hmm… How about Emolga's Enforcers? Pretty cool, right?

"Shin, what do you think would be a good name? You should pick a name for us."

"Huh? Why do you want me to decide?"

"Because I feel like you could pick out a great name for us."

"Uuu…."

"Hey! What about my idea?!"

I can't really refuse if she gives me that kind of look, now can I? A team name, huh…? What should we be? Hmm…

"…How about the Starlight?"

"The Starlight… Alright, then. The Starlight it is! I like it. It'll be a great name!"

"I think it's good, too!"

"I don't have any objections."

"Right? That's because it's an awesome name! 'Emolga's Enforcers' it is, then- …Hey! You guys haven't been listening to a single thing I've been saying, have you?!"

"So it's decided, then! As of today, we are…the Starlight!"

"Yes!"

"Hehe. Understood."

"Oh, fine."

Silvy then filled out the team name on the application and returned the letter to Pelipper. Pelipper then took it and flew off into the distance.

"Pelipper, I'm counting you!" Silvy said as she waved at Pelipper

Clapping could be heard behind us.

"Congratulations are in order, hmm, Team Starlight! I'm, hmm, glad to see you all finally became a team!"

"Quagsire! Hmm, so… To celebrate the formation of your team…how about another, hmm, present from me?"

"Another present! Really?" Silvy asked, surprised.

"Come with me, hmm?"

All of us looked a bit confused but we still followed Quagsire out to the Request Counter.

"Ah! Th-that's-!"

What caught Silvy off guard, and me for that matter, was seeing Scraggy standing behind a counter.

"S…Scraggy?! Quagsire! What in the world is Scraggy doing here! You don't mean… Your present isn't…Scraggy, is it?!"

"Hmm. That's right. You really were surprised, hmm? But you needn't worry, hmm? Scraggy's on the, mmm, straight and narrow now."

"What? How? Why?"

"I punished him. Hmm."

"What? Quagsire… You… What?!"

"Mm-hmm. I can't let evildoers slide, hmm? So I punish them thoroughly. Mm-hmm. And since he, hmm, caused so much trouble for you and Shin and everyone… I've made Scraggy give his word to support you all from now on. Mm-hmm."

"I would have expected no less. The famous reformer of criminals who even formed an organization to punish evildoers and is said to travel the world for its operations. The one known for three qualities above all others: sincerity, integrity, and rage. It appears that your famous nickname is not just for show… SIR Quagsire."

Virizion had just said something unbelievable. Quagsire was being praised as quite the ally of justice.

"SIR… SIR Quagsire?! I don't really get it, but it sounds super awesome!" Emolga said admiringly.

"Quagsire, are you…actually a super-strong Pokémon or something?!" Silvy asked, shocked to hear Quasire described that way.

But Quagsire only brushed this praise aside.

"No, no. I've just, hmm, picked up a thing or two over the years. Though, hmm, I used to be quite famous back in the day…in the underworld. …Oh. Am I bragging? Hoho…"

He praised himself in such high regard but then quickly became modest and self-conscious. All while ending up embarrassed. Quagsire sure was something else.

"But now's not the time for any of that, hmm? I'm about to, mmm, explain something. So listen well, hmm? Now that you're a team, hmm, you can choose which members will go off to dungeons for you adventures. You can send up to four Pokémon into a dungeon at once, hmm? No more than that."

"I see… And since we have five Pokémon on our team now…" Silvy started

"Someone is going to get left behind." Virizion finished.

"Mm-hmmm. Whoever is left behind will stay behind here and take care of Paradise. And, hmm…sometimes when you battle in dungeons, you may find that some of the Pokémon you battle will ask to join your team. If you let those Pokémon join you, your team will keep growing. Mm-hmm.

Dunsparce then noticed Pelipper flying towards us.

"Ah! Pelipper!"

Pelipper didn't even appear to slow down as he approached us. What was curious was that he had a chest with him. Instead of landing, Pelipper dropped the chest in front of us and continued to fly off into the sky.

"Is that…?" Emolga asked.

Silvy looked awestruck as she approached the chest with us behind her.

"…It's from HAPPI. And it's addressed to us."

Silvy opened the chest and inside was a letter, a Team Bag, accessories and some Team Badges.

"I'll read the letter first. Lemme see…"

Dear Starlight

We hereby recognize your team as proper explorers and present to you these badges as evidence of your teamhood. Let them be an aid to you in your adventures.

-Helping Adventures Pokémon

Prosper Institute

"…And that's the end."

"Wow!"

"We already got recognized as a team!"

" That's HAPPI for you, hmm? They don't waste any time. Mm-hmm. And shall I explain about your Team Badges, hmm? These, hmm, little badges should be passed around to everyone on your team."

Silvy looked into the chest for the Team Badges.

"There are dozens…no, hundreds of them! Don't we just need one for everyone on the team? There are only five of us in the Starlight, so we don't need all these…"

"Hmm, you should use your extra badges if you decide to recruit more teammates. Your Team Badges will help you out if you all carry them. Mm-hmm… Like with move growth."

"Move growth?" Dunsparce asked.

"Mm-hmm. You know the move Bubble, hmm? If you keep using Bubble again and again… then it'll become a stronger form of Bubble and that will be the new standard of Bubble. In short, hmm, your moves will keep growing stronger."

"Really?!"

"And move growth is shared by anyone carrying the same badge, hmm? In short, the whole team shares their move growth. Mm-hmm."

"The whole team…shares?"

Virizion took over the explanation from there.

"Like if I keep using Quick Attack…then I would make Quick Attack grow to a stronger form, you know? And then all my teammates who know Quick Attack could use the new stronger form. Emolga, you know Quick Attack, don't you? So in this example, even if Emolga never uses Quick Attack to level it up himself, he would suddenly be able to use the stronger form of Quick Attack—without doing a thing. That's what it means to share as a team."

"H-hmph! I don't need to share anything with you!"

"If you want to know more about any moves…hmm… You should have Scraggy over there tell you more. Mm-hmm. Oh, and if you want to forget moves or, hmm, remember them, he should be able to help out with that, too. The last benefit of your Team Badges is probably Team Skills, hmm? I won't go into any details now, but, hmm, just remember that there are many skills that will help you on your adventure, hmm? And just like your move growth, any Team Skills you learn will be shared by all of you. Mm-hmm. That about covers it. I suppose it's, mmm, a lot to take in at once. I'm sure you'll pick it all up as you go along doing requests, hmm?"

"You're way too nice to us, Quagsire. I don't even know what to say… Thank you… Thank you for all of this Quagsire!"

Silvy was filled with tears in gratitude of Quagsire's generosity. Even I felt that Quagsire had done so much for us. Quagsire could only turn away in embarrassment.

"Ok, everyone! From this day forth, we are a proper team! Let's give it our all!"

"Aye-Aye!"

"Alright!"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Yeah!"


	5. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Another day passed and it was morning. After receiving our Team gear, we drew lots to see who would go on a Request mission. It came to be that Virizion would stay behind and while the rest of us went ahead with the request. The request was fairly simple as it was just item retrieval and a location that Silvy and I were familiar with. This made the job go much faster. When we returned, we were paid our fee and we all decided to turn in early so that we could complete another request the next day.

We woke up to the new day and headed to the Request Board. What caught our attention when we arrived was the sound of Gurdurr in the morning.

"GURDUUURRR!"

"What's up, Gurdurr?"

"I've decided. Starting today, I'm setting up shop right here!"

"What?"

"I'm thinking it's time to try being a proper carpenter again. And on top of that, I do want to pay you guys back in some way. So I figured I might as well set up shop on your doorstep!"

"…Yeah, that's what he says, anyway."

"But I'm betting he just wants to stay close to the lovely Virizion."

"Y-you little-! Why'd you hafta go and blab something like that?!

"Eeeeek!"

Becoming enraged by the Timburr revealing his true motives, Gurdurr chased after the Timburr and punished them with a beating.

"Hahah. So that's it, huh? Well it sounds good to me. What do you think, Silvy?"

"Yeah! I think it's a great idea!"

Gurdurr returned exhausted from chasing down his Timburr.

"Hah…hah… Now that all the distractions are gone…"

"Hey! Ain't that old Gurdurr!"

"Scraggy?!"

Hearing a Pokémon call out to him, Gurdurr turned to find Scraggy working behind a counter. No one could blame him because everyone else had the same reaction.

"Gurdurr, you… When did you get all buddy-buddy with these losers?"

"Look who's talking! What's a crook like you doing in a nice place like this?"

"I—I didn't-!"

Scraggy then fearfully looked in the direction of Quagsire.

"It's not like I had a choice, yo! Life's not so simple for some of us! It's not like… It's not like I chose to be stuck in this awful place! Waaaaaaaaahhh!"

"… Looks like you've got some issues of your own, pal… I don't know what your problem is, but…whatever. At any rate, what I was saying was I'm thinking I'd like to have a shop here from now. Any objections?"

"'Course not! I think it's awesome to see you fired up to work again!"

"I agree with Silvy."

"Hmph! I figured you'd say something like that, Silvy, ya softie. I was counting on it, in fact. So I already took the liberty of building the shop."

"What?!"

"There it is! The new home to the Gurdurr Crew! Pretty awesome, I know."

Gurdurr pointed towards his shop that he built right next to the river. It was a building that really represented Gurdurr. The building was a large steel colored cube with large versions of his steel beams as decoration. Surrounding the building were materials to build new buildings.

"So I'll be working hard as a carpenter right here in the Paradise Center from now on. Well…I'll be trying, anyway. It's been a long time since I've done any real work, so I'm awful rusty…"

"That's not true! You just built us our house, right?"

"Well, that's true… But I still think I've gotta get some more practice in if I'm hoping to make a living. I've been practicing my carpentry every day recently, but it's not going so well. Things might be different if I could get my hands on a Sturdy Vine or two. I feel like I could really recapture those old instincts if I had some, but…"

"Is that all? Why didn't you say so? We'll get you a Sturdy Vine."

"What! Y-you'd do that for me?!"

"Of course! You probably want to focus on training right now, so we'll just go get if for you. Just one thing. Where should we look?"

"I'm pretty sure you can get a Sturdy Vine as a reward for meeting a request. If you go check out that Request Board, you'll probably find requests that reward you with a Sturdy Vine. If you clear one of those requests, you should be able to get one."

"Got it! Then I guess we'll do a request, and when we get that Sturdy Vine, we'll bring it to you right away! OK, Shin! Let's go check out the Request Board! Maybe we'll find a request that'll get us that Sturdy Vine! Then we're setting out!"

We went up to the Request Board and perused the flyers that were posted. I spotted one that paid out three Sturdy Vines.

Whooper's in danger!

My best friend's in danger!

Someone, please help my friend! Please!

Reward:

Sturdy Vine x2

100 Poké Dollars

Sturdy Vine x1

I chose it more for the nostalgia then the reward in all honesty. The location for this rescue mission was Ragged Mountain, the place where Silvy and I traversed in order to get to Post Town. We handed the flyer to Azumarill and she then opened the Request Gate. As for the team, we decided Emolga would stay while Dunsparce and Virizion would join Silvy and I. With all of us prepared, we headed out the Request Gate.

After rescuing Whooper, we returned to Paradise Center. There Whooper and the client thanked us for helping them. We were paid our reward of three Sturdy Vines, 100 Poké dollars and as a bonus, a Cheri Berry. Once the client and Whooper left, Vririzion and Dunsparce went to Post Town until another request was taken.

"I'm glad we got that Sturdy Vine. Now Gurdurr should be able to practice again, huh? Let's hurry and give it to him."

"Right. After you."

"I-isn't this-?!"

"Yup! We brought you a Sturdy Vine! With this, you'll be able to work on your carpentry again, right?"

Silvy then gave the Sturdy Vine to Gurdurr. Even though we had three, he only required one.

"Y-you kids… You actually… Urgh! Thanks, kids… I'm sure I can get back into the swing of things with this… I'm gonna show you carpentry like you've never seen! Just you wait… "

"Looking forward to it! Good luck, Gurdurr!"

We gave him our words of encouragement and headed back home. It was a long day and we couldn't wait to see the results of Gurdurr's training.

The next morning came quickly so we eagerly went to see how Gurdurr was doing.

"GURDUUURRRRRR!"

"Hey, Gurdurr! And Timburr and Timburr, too"

"Morning, Gurdurr. Timburrs"

"Sorry for the holdup! As of today, the Gurdurr Crew is open and ready for business!"

"You are? Then that means…"

"That's right! I've still got a long way to go, but… I think I'm getting back the ol' feel for my carpentry!"

"He's been practicing nonstop since yesterday. He didn't even sleep."

"And the boss made the two of us chumps stay up all night with 'im, of course."

"You said you wanna make a paradise, right? If you wanna add any facilities or anything, we're your crew!"

"Really?!"

"You bet! My skills might not be up to snuff, but I'll put my all into it. We can take care of preparing your land for building as well, of course."

"Preparing it?"

"That's right. This place is all just barren wasteland, ain't it? Haven't you noticed that you can't even get through most of it?"

"Yeah. The area around our house is all like that, in fact. Rocks and fallen trees are all over, and it's tough to climb up some places… We can't even get into most of it. …Oh, right. Of course you can't just build on top of that kind of wasteland, huh?"

"That's right. So leave the land up to me and my boys, too. We'll prepare it for you and get it all cleared out and ready to build on. Then you can build those facilities you'll be wanting. Though of course…and this goes for both building facilities and clearing land…you're gonna need Poké dollars and materials for all this work we're talking about."

"Materials, huh? You mean stuff like that Sturdy Vine you wanted for practice?"

"That's it. Those're exactly the kinds of materials. You can't get 'em from requests. Here, I'll give you an overview of what you need to do to build a facility…"

"First, you do your request, right? Second, you get together all the material and Poké dollars that you'll need for preparing the land. Last, you give us, the Gurdurr Crew, a holler and we'll prepare the land for you, right? Once it's all prepared, you can build your facilities on it. You'll have to repeat the whole mess to make yourself a facility. You do your requests, you get together all the materials and Poké dollars that you need for your facility, we then can build it for you."

"That's about it, huh? We'll, you've gotta start with preparing the land anyway. Just call us when you're ready."

"Thanks, Gurdurr. I think I get it. Shin! Looks like we're one step closer to making our Paradise! Let's prepare all this wasteland and make ourselves some facilities that'll help us out on our adventures!

Silvy handed me the decision-making role over what to do with our Paradise. I asked Gurdurr to show what was available to be done and he gave me a list of what he could do currently. According to his list, he was only capable of creating a Pleasant Plain. I asked Gurdurr to go ahead and make the wasteland behind our home into a Pleasant Plain and then he asked for the materials for it. I handed him what was required and he called over the Timburr. They gathered before the bridge leading to our home and then left towards the area they were going to clear. We were told to wait in Paradise Center while they worked so as to not get in the way.

An hour had passed by the time the trio returned.

"Okay. It's done."

That's all he said before he asked us to go over to his shop. When he arrived, he stood before us in tears.

"Alright. Your Pleasant Plain has been constructed. Your very first land's been prepared. Sniff… I dunno why, but I'm gettin' kinda chocked up about it… Alright! Let's celebrate! I'll give ya the materials ya need for an Oran Field! Take 'em! An Oran Field is one of the facilities ya can make here in Paradise. But…well, I'm sorry, but I can't make any facilities from here. When you wanna build a facility, you've gotta go to the land you've prepared. Check out the signboards there. So if you wanna build that Oran Field, go to that land we just prepared and look at the signboard there to get started."

On his coaxing, Silvy and I headed to the Pleasant Plain. When we arrived, the scene before us took our breaths away.

You wouldn't believe it was a wasteland once. The plain was filled with luscious grass filled with flowers spread out and trees. The flowers that were spread around were all colorful and vibrant making the plain more visually appealing. The trees gave shade from the sun and provided pleasant locations to take a nap and rest. Small pinwheels where moving indicating a soft breeze was blowing. It really did live up to its name as Pleasant Plain.

We decided on the closest spot near where we came from. The sign said to call Gurdurr so I volunteered to go out and find him. I returned quickly and the Gurdurr Crew stood next to the sign and asked what we wanted to make there. We chose the Oran Field as that was really the only thing we could make at the moment. Gurdurr Crew accepted the request and began to work quickly and efficiently.

I couldn't believe how fast Gurdurr and the Timburr were working. The more they worked, the more they looked like a blur as they pounded, planted, and placed on the spot they worked on. Before we knew it, Gurdurr and the Timburr were done.

"There. Your Oran Field is finished."

Gurdurr look sincerely satisfied at a job well done. After we finished thanking Gurdurr, a Pokémon showed up and spoke up.

"Hello! I'm Patrat. Gurdurr used to take care of me a long time ago. Now I'm here to return the favor. From now on, I'll be managing the Oran Field."

Patrat, the scout Pokémon, was as tall as we were and had the appearance of a prairie dog. His eyes appeared to have layers as the center of the eye was a bright red then bordered by gold and then again bordered by that same bright red. His fur was tan colored and his belly had a cream oval shape as did his mouth and cheeks. His tail stood stiff with a bushy white tip.

Patrat then took position in front of the field.

He happily took one of our Oran Berry and planted it. Patrat then told us to wait until it was ready to harvest. With nothing left to do, we decided to end our day with another request.

Another morning came, but somehow the air felt different. I didn't know how to explain it, just that it felt different. Maybe I was still sleepy.

"Morning, Shin! Let's give it our all today."

"Morning, Silvy. I'm right with you."

We headed outside to begin our day and were greeted by Virizion and Dunsparce coming to see us.

"Ah! Morning everyone! Huh? Where's Emolga?" Silvy asked.

"You're right… Where did he go? He was definitely with us a minute ago…"

Not even Dunsparce knew where Emolga went. We didn't even have a chance to wonder where he had gone off to before we were overwhelmed by colorful lights flying through the air.

"Whoa! What's with the wind?" I exclaimed.

The wind was full of colorful lights that were shifting through the spectrum as they floated away. It was both wondrous and mysterious in my eyes. But just as suddenly as they came, the lights suddenly dissipated.

"Oh! It died down…" Silvy said.

"What was it, that strange wind? It didn't really feel like a normal breeze…" Dunsparce wondered.

"It's the V-Wave," Virizion answered.

"The V-Wave?" I asked.

"It's a strange wind that always begins to blow around this time of year, you know? Fire, Water, Electric… There's a wave for each of the Pokémon types. Say a Fire-type wave is blowing one day, for example. Then a Fire-type Pokémon will be stronger than usual and level up easier. Get it?"

"I think so. So basically, it'd be a real good day to be a Fire type, huh? Ah! But isn't that bad news for anyone who's not a Fire type?" Silvy surmised.

"Hehe, you noticed, did you? But it's not all bad news. The V-Wave is just like any other weather phenomenon. It changes every day. So it's not like you'll always be at a disadvantage—or at an advantage."

Emolga then suddenly interrupted the conversation.

"Guys!"

"Ah! Emolga! Where did you run off to?"

"Never mind that! Just get yourselves over to the Paradise Center! Quagsire wants everybody there!"

"Wha-? Quagsire? What for?"

We all somewhat confused at this announcement, but we all followed Emolga towards Quagsire.

"Mmm-right. All done. Hmm… Good timing. The, mmm, V-Wave season is upon us, so I thought I'd slap something together, hmm?"

What Quasire was referring to was the bulletin board he had set-up behind him. The bulletin board was full of flyers that had schedules and warnings about something.

"What is it? This thing?" Dunsparce asked.

"It shows the V-Wavecast," Gurdurr said.

"The V-Wave…cast?" Silvy said, confused.

"What? You don't even know about that? Hmph! Fine. Then I guess the great Scraggy will do you dimwits a special favor and—"

Upon hearing this, Quagsire shifted his eyes towards Scraggy with a glint in his eyes.

"Hmmmm?"

"Eep! Er, no! I mean—I'd just love the chance to tell you all about it…"

Ah, I see. Scraggy is kept on a very tight leash by Quagsire, huh?

"Uh, for starters…the wave type changes every day. That's no different from how the weather works, right? Normally you kinda wonder about what the weather's gonna be each day, right? So any twerp in the know will check the weather forecast. Same for V-Waves. The V-Wavecast'll tell you the wave types of the next coupla days. In other words, it's like a weather report just for V-Waves. Oh, just look at the stupid board already, wouldja?"

At Scraggy's request, we all looked at the V-Wavecast board.

"You can see the different types, right?"

"It's true. Today's a Fighting-type wave and tomorrow's Electric and then Water."

"I get it! And since today is a Fighting-type wave, Fighting-type Pokémon have an advantage. Since I'm a Normal type, I'm always weak to Fighting types. That means that if I want to go adventuring today, I guess I'd better be extra careful around Fighting-type enemies."

"But then tomorrow'll be an Electric-type V-Wave! You won't always have it so bad, Dunsparce," Emolga comforted, "and then I'll be the one gettin' an extra shot of power! Hah!"

"Mmm-hmm. That pretty much sums it up, hmm? You should, mmm, use the V-Wavecast just like that."

After Quagsire finished his encouragement, an earthquake startled us and made us lose our balance.

"Wha… What is that?!"

Silvy pointed towards the sky when she said this. In the sky was a big fireball flying towards the east. It looked like it was losing altitude as the ground shook more violently as it grew closer to us.

"Up there! It's gonna crash!" I yelled.

"It's heading right for us!" Emolga cried.

"Eep! Run for it!"

We didn't need Scraggy to tell us as we were already trying to get to safe distance from the fireball. What appeared from the landing site of the fireball was a Pokémon making two victory signs with its hands.

"Ta-daa! Victni's here!"

A Victni! Another mythical Pokémon appears so suddenly. This world doesn't fail to impress. Victini was the victory Pokémon and only stood a little over a foot taller, smaller than we were. He had big azure colored eyes. His eyes, feet and the tops of his ears were all in the color of flame orange while his fur was a soft cream color. As he was the victory Pokémon, his body really represented it as his ears were in the shape of a big V as his feet.

"Wh-what just happened…" Silvy said dumbfounded.

"Well, if it ain't Victini! What's with the flashy entrance, huh? And crashing down like this… That mean you're opening shop here this year?

Gurdurr appeared to be familiar Victini as they were conversing as if they were friends.

"Yup. Right here. I decided. Without asking. Lucky you, huh?"

This guy is the whimsical type, huh?

"V-Wheeeeel!"

Victni yelled his one phrase to no one in particular. He seemed especially happy at saying this for some reason.

"Gurdurr, you…know this guy?" I asked.

"Sorta, though it's not just me. Everyone here knows him. He's called Victini. He always shows up when V-Wave season rolls around."

"And…what's that thing?"

Dunpsarce was looking at the wheel in the corner next to Victni.

"That? That is my precious…V-Wheeeeeel! It's the tool of my trade. Totally. Spin this right here and you can change today's V-Wave."

What Victni said so easily, sounded amazing to us.

"Wha-! Do you mean you can change the V-Wave type?" Silvy asked, thoroughly amazed.

"Yup. With my trusty…V-Wheeeeeel! …You sure can. Definitely. But it's all up to luck. No guarantee. And the…V-Wheeeeeel! …can only be spun once a day. With only one chance, you'd better not blow it. Nope. But if you make enough Poké dollars, who knows? You could pick any type you like! Or maybe not. Find out yourself. V-Wheeeeeel!"

This guy is definitely whimsical and happy-go-lucky.

"So in the end, it all comes down to luck or business, huh?" I muttered.

"Victini! It's been ages, hasn't it?"

"Ah! Virizion! Long time, no seeeeee! You're living here now. Obviously."

"And you're just as lively as ever, aren't you? But…you know, the whole…'V-Wheeeeeel!' …and striking a pose thing? You may want to tone it down or other Pokémon could get annoyed, you know?"

"Yeah. You're right about that. I get it. I'm gonna stop. Absolutely. Maybe."

Victni even tried to show restraint. His restraint only lasted for second as he spun around many times, struck a pose and cried,

"V-Wheeeeeel!"

Everyone must have thought the same thing as they made the same expression, "We're going to be hearing this for a quite a while, huh?"

"Shin? And Silvy? Victni might seem a bit much, but he's really nice to Pokémon, deep down. He wanted to help out the Pokémon who are inconvenienced by the V-Wave and that's why he travels around the world with his V-Wheel, you know?

"Yup! I go around and round the world! Around and around and around! And my V-Wheel goes around and around with me! Haha! Hahahahaha! V-Wheeeeeel!"

"…Well, anyway, you should probably only use the V-Wheel when you really need it. In other words, only when you feel you absolutely MUST change the V-Wave, OK?"

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. Shin! We can only spin the V-Wheel once a day, so let's think carefully before using it, OK?"

"I'll think about it, to be sure."

With the addition of Victini in Paradise Center, our lives had become even more lively.

Two days passed uneventfully. On the night of the third day, I had a dream that was the same as the one I had before I turned into a Pokémon.

"Mm… Ugh…"

My eyes were staring into a bright world of color. It was the same place again where I heard that voice.

Is this…a dream?

Once again, the world turned into that ominous shade of purple before I heard that cry.

"HELP!"

Everything then went black and I woke up very suddenly with cold sweat on my body.

What… That was…

I looked around and I was still home. Nothing changed. It was just a dream. A nightmare by the way I looked.

Silvy…is still asleep… So it really was a dream, huh? That voice, though… The voice in that dream… It's the second time I've heard that voice calling for help. The first time…was just before I came here to this world.

The voice said 'Might you be…a human? If you are, then please… Listen to my plea. I want you to save the Pokémon world. We need your…' Then it cut off and the voice screamed for help.

Now I remember it… Didn't that voice say something about saving the Pokémon world? I've come all the way here to this world…but I still don't know what it is that I'm here for. I was hoping I'd figure it out if I stuck around for a while, but…but nothing's happened so far…

No, that's not right. I did have that dream, at least… Maybe that voice will be able to give me some hint as to why I'm here… But that Pokémon was calling for help…

In the vision I saw, that pink Pokémon was being chased by that three-headed dragon. Was that dragon even a Pokémon?

I wonder if she's still even OK… I hope so. But I wouldn't have heard her voice if she wasn't OK…right? Then I guess maybe she's still being chased, huh? I've got to find a way to help her.

All these thoughts weighed heavily on me and prevented me from going back to sleep. I decided to just stay up and watch the stars while pondering what should I do.

Morning came, but only Silvy woke up like usual.

"Yaawwn… Huh? Shin… You're already up?"

"Yeah. Morning."

"I get it. You wanted to get this exciting day started sooner, right?"

The truth is actually just that I couldn't sleep a wink after that… But worrying about it won't help anything… I guess I can't do anything but wait until I get some kind of new clue. If that dream really is the key to understanding everything, then maybe I'll be able to see something more next time.

"At any rate, hope it's a good morning! Let's give it our all again today!"

A week had passed since that dream but no others dreams like that came to me. I couldn't help but feel even more worried about that Pokémon. Was it safe? Had it been captured? There were too many questions and not a single answer for any one of them. All I could do was go day by day and wait for another dream to appear.

One morning as we went towards Paradise Center, we encountered Dunsparce.

"Huh? Dunsparce? What is it?"

"Silvy! Shin! Please come with me to Post Town right now! You can see the mirage from up on the hill!"

"Wha-? A mirage? You mean…like when you see something in the air that isn't there?"

"That's right. Apparently this one can be seen from Post Town from time to time but I heard from others that it's really clear this time! The clearest it's ever been! Everyone else is already up on the hill."

"That sounds pretty interesting. Let's go check it out, Silvy."

"Yeah! I wanna see the mirage, too!"

Up on the uppermost plateau, there were some Pokémon staring off into the distance. Emolga and Virizion were already there as well.

"Woah. Look how many Pokémon are here already…" Silvy said.

Emolga was the first to notice us.

"Oh! You guys made it! It's over there. You can see it pretty clearly, huh?"

What everyone was staring at was probably the mountains out in the distance. They were so far way that they seemed to shimmer as you stared at them. From what I saw, they looked like mountains full of snow. The color of the mountains themselves mirrored the clear blue sky, but because of how far away they were I could agree on why they were considered a mirage. They would disappear from sight at the blink of an eye and then reappear.

"Wow! It's beautiful! There's huge mountain floating in the air!" Dunsparce said.

"Yeah, it looks like a mountain of pure white… What could it be?" Silvy spoke in awe.

"It's the Great Glacier in the north," Virizion answered.

"The Great Glacier?" I asked.

"There are huge glaciers that fill the ocean far in the north. I've only seen them myself from atop a mountain near the Oceanside, but… The magnificent sight of that huge glacier was truly…awe-inspiring."

"That's amazing! I want to go see it, too!" Dunsparce said excitedly.

"Yeah! Sounds awesome. What kind of place would it be? The Great Glacier… It's kinda exciting, right?" Silvy said happily.

"There are all kinds of rumors about what might be waiting there… Jewels made of ice… A legendary Great Crystal… But it's all just rumors and speculation, you know?

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because no one has ever gone to the Great Glacier. Or that's…what they say… There are vast crevasses that make it impossible to reach the Great Glacier. And because the mysteriosity is so great there the crevasses change unpredictably and no one can even map them. If you try to fly over the crevasses to get there, a freezing wind pushes you back."

"That bad, huh… I guess there's no way we could make it someplace like that. Not how we are now. But-! I still wanna go there someday! To the Great Glacier!"

"Yes!"

"Heh! That's right!"

"Sounds pretty exciting!"

"We've gotta keep training and get stronger! Come one! Let's get to work!"

That night, an unknown Pokémon was running through bushes, tired and desperate.

"Hah…hah…"

The Pokémon saw light nearby and rushed towards it. The moon was shining brightly down on Post Town as it gave the night sky a soft glow. It peered at Post Town before returning into the bushes and moving on.

"…."

Again, this dream. I can see the colorful aurora everywhere.

Is this…another dream? …! That voice-! I think I can hear it…

"…hear me… Shin… Shin, can… …hear…me… …I need… …Shin…Please…help… …I can't… … … …"

I couldn't catch most of it… What is she trying to tell me? … ….The voice is fading…

"Wait…I want to hear more…"

No good… The dream's…slipping away… … … …

"Morning, Shin! …Huh? What's up? You seem kind of out of it this morning. Still tired? Couldn't you sleep well last night?"

… … I guess it's no big surprise she's worried… I guess I'd better just explain the whole mess to Silvy…

"No, it's more than that. I've been having dreams for the past new nights. In those dreams, I keep hearing the same voice that made me come to the Pokémon"

"You've been hearing the same voice in your dreams? The same voice that was calling for help when you first came here?"

"Yes."

"Then…then what does the voice say?"

"At first the voice said it needed help but now I can't hear what the voice is trying to say. It's all fragmented."

"…Really? You can't really hear the words, huh? Sorry, Shin… But—I don't know… Maybe… Maybe the Pokémon who wanted your help, Shin is trying to communicate with you using some kinda telepathy or something, huh?

"You think so?"

"That's gotta be it. And it couldn't even get through to your dreams when you first came here, right?"

"Yeah."

"That makes it sound even more likely. I bet that Pokémon's been, like, broadcasting for help this whole time."

This whole time?!

"But there must've been some problem… so you never even heard it till now. You say you heard more last night than you did in the dream before, so maybe you two are, I don't know, getting in sync or something. Maybe it'll be even clearer next time."

"I get it… It could be true… But I guess it really is in my dreams…"

Why I was called to this world… The answer to all the mysteries

"Once you figure out where that Pokémon is, we'll go save her at once. Don't worry. I'll be with you."

"Thanks, Silvy. It's reassuring."

Silvy was genuinely concerned about me. She gave me a home and believed everything I said. She really is someone special. I have to continue to help and rely on her.

We stepped outside and headed towards Paradise Center to start our day when we noticed Pelipper flying.

"Hey, it's Pelipper!"

"Think it's got something for us?"

As soon as I voiced my question, Pelipper turned around and dropped some flyers. The flyers floated and scattered down before us.

"…What could this be?" Silvy pondered.

"It's some kind of notice… Let me see…"

I then read out the notice to Silvy.

"Hm… It's a notice from HAPPI. Apparently they've been getting reports of a suspicious Pokémon that's been spotted lurking around Post Town. We should take caution when traveling and keep our windows and doors locked… Or that's what they say, anyway."

"There have always been suspicious Pokémon, though," Silvy said sulkily, "We've gotten into plenty of trouble firsthand because of them! But…maybe…they sent out this kind of notice because they're worried this Pokémon might be even more dangerous than the Pawniard Brothers or the enemies in dungeons?"

"Wonder how everyone is doing in Post Town… Why don't we go check things out?"

"You read my mind."

We both headed towards Post Town, hoping that everyone was alright. All the while, Silvy seemed to be closer to my side as we headed out.

When we tried to make our ways past Paradise Center, we saw Quagsire standing around. Quagsire must have seen us too as he beckoned us.

"Hmm, hello there. Good timing. Can you give this to the Signora at the inn, hmm?"

"The Signora? You mean Swanna, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Quagsire then handed me some Poké dollars.

"You're giving us Poké dollars?" I asked.

"This is for my, mmm, bill yesterday. I went to the inn's restaurant yesterday for dinner, hmm? But I was so laid back that…I forgot to bring any Poké dollars, hmm? I didn't remember until after I'd finished, mmm, eating. Far too late, hmm? So the Signora just let me, mmm, put it on credit. I really should go pay her back myself, hmm?"

"Got it Quagsire. We can take it to Swanna for you. Actually, this is good timing. We were just about to go check on the town anyway."

"Sorry for the trouble. I'm counting on you, hmm?"

Quagsire sent us on our way and Silvy reassured him that his money would be delivered. Without any more distractions, we resumed our way to Post Town.

"It's pretty quiet here."

That was the first thing I noticed as we enter Post Town. The reason being is,

"Whoa… It's like a ghost town… Did everyone get scared off by that notice after all? No one even dares to go outside, huh? Well, let's go check out Swanna's inn. She should still be in the restaurant, at least."

We walked towards the inn. The sounds of nature sounded clearer as there were no voices to tune it out. It was more disturbing than peaceful in my opinion. The soft wind blowing sounded more like a gale through this empty town.

Inside the inn was nearly the entire town chatting away the day. It seemed that because of the warning issued by HAPPI, they were trying to distract themselves from that fear.

"What's this? From Quagsire, you say?"

I handed over the money Quasire entrusted to us to Swanna.

"Oh! To settle his bill from yesterday? Ah, I figured he'd get around to it. But thanks for going out of your way."

"It looks like there are still quite a few folks here. That sure is a relief," Silvy noted.

"Oh? You were actually worried, were you? Because of that notice about a suspicious Pokémon near Post Town? How sweet! But these things happen quite often. I'm not particularly worried."

"Yeah? I feel a bit better hearing that, to be honest!" I said.

"Don't get me wrong—what I'm about to say isn't just about the notice this time, but… The town's Pokémon are…feeling quite uneasy about things. Tension is running high between Pokémon, and quarrels break out all the time… Relationships keep growing worse…"

"Crivens! An' all because the Rainbows o' Hope dinnae appear these days…"

The old Herdier then added to what Swanna was starting to say.

"Och, I'll be first tae admit that I—and all the good folk here in Post Town—Well, we've been findin' it a mite hard tae hol' on tae hope since the rainbows left us."

The Rufflet then added his opinion to the conversation,

"It's not just Post Town, pops. Pokémon all around the world are losing any kinda hope they used to have. And I don't know why, but…if things keep going this way…I feel like something really bad's gonna happen sooner or later."

Something…bad?

"Och, aye… I ken what ye mean, lad. I fancy all o' us here feel the same, deep down underneath it all… It's fair certain. This feelin' that something bad's drawin' near tae us… And that there's nae happy future ahead… Aye, every last aone o' us has that same eerie feeling, or I'm much mistaken."

"But even if we all do…what're we supposed to do about some silly feeling, huh? This vague feeling of dread…"

A vague feeling of dread… Yeah…

"Hmm. Well, that wasn't very cheery… But we can't just sit around moping, either… Let's just do our best, Shin."

I wonder what Silvy really thinks about all this talk of doom and gloom. Herdier and Rufflet just said that all of the Pokémon in this world have been feeling it, didn't they? Then maybe Silvy actually feels that way, too? Is she really okay?

"What's the matter? Nothing to look so down about!"

Silvy's so positive… Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I've got to stay positive, too.

"You're right!"

"Alright! That's more like it! Then let's go and give our all to our request again today!"

Silvy's right. There isn't time to mope and worry. As long as we keep moving forward, things will turn out well somehow. I'm sure my dreams will become clearer as I keep going forward. I won't have to face them alone when the time comes. Silvy will be by my side.


	6. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Today's request involved taking down a reported Pokémon that was gathering a crew of Pokémon to commit a nefarious act. Since they were still gathering, this was the perfect chance to take down the leader.

Carracosta Crew

Now, Carracosta crews are gathering!

It's a chance to get them!

Goal:

Punish Carracosta

Place:

Mountain Pass

Reward:

Spring Water x2

300 Poké Dollaras

Ancient Soil x1

This request was chosen by Silvy. She didn't find the idea of evil Pokémon hurting others sensible so she decided to play the ally of justice with this request. I only more than happily agreed to follow along with it. The weak should never be oppressed in my opinion.

We were already fairly deep in the Mountain Pass. The area wasn't as devoid of nature as I thought it would be. There were plenty of grass scattered about in patches either growing in the ground or on the boulders. Since this was the Mountain Pass, naturally our avenues of traveling were pretty cramped so we were forced to follow along in a single file at times. The silver and grey walls of rock didn't have many footholds to climb over so we took many detours in order to progress further.

Our allies this time were Virizion, and Sewaddle. Sewaddle, the Sewing Pokémon, was a Bug and Grass type. He wasn't very tall as he had a grassy colored body of a caterpillar, with six tangerine colored feet. His head was a sort of lemon colored while his lowar jaw was pure white. He wore a sort of leaf hood that he made himself by mixing various leaves and the silk from his mouth. As he was both a Grass and Bug type, and he was our newest member in Paradise, I thought the experience he gained here would only benefit him as well as making a good opponent against Carracosta.

"Thanks again for bringing me along on this request. This adventure is really exciting!" he said.

"Try not to get too excited. We're almost where Carracosta was said to have been spotted at," I cautioned.

Virizion could only chuckle at how childish Sewaddle was being as we neared our goal.

"By the way Shin, do you have any idea what we're up against?" Silvy asked.

"Corrocosta is a Water type Pokémon. Since all of us have a type advantage against Water types, we are a good team in terms of balance. Since Virizion and Sewaddle aren't just Grass types, we also have different methods to attack in case Carracosta has allies that are strong against us."

"My, how astute of you," Virizion complimented.

"Wow! You sure are smart Shin!" Sewaddle was gazing at me admiringly.

"No no. I just want to make sure we are prepared for what's to come. For now, we should focus on what's coming up soon."

On my call, we all focused on the path ahead. We had already faced plenty of the indigenous Pokémon. There were mostly Vullaby and Croagunk. Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon, was a Poison and Fighting type. They were about as tall as I was with coloring that proved that they could poison their opponents. Their eyes were a lunar yellow bordered with a thick black line. Its body was a dull indigo with its hands and feet a dark black. On its hands was a single finger that was dyed orange, just like its poison sacks on its cheeks. Whenever we crossed each other, I made sure to take the lead in attacking it for everyone else was more susceptible to its poison than I was.

We had finally made it to the area designated as the area where Carracosta was. I motioned everyone to stay low and wait as I inched closer to peer at our mark. From my point of view, I could see Corrocosta talking to his minions. Currently amassed were an Archen, the First Bird Pokémon, Petilil and a Blitzle. No one else seemed to be around at the moment. After checking out our opponents, I quickly went back to where everyone was waiting.

"I was right. He has allies that are strong against to what he would be weak against."

"What do you have in mind?" Silvy asked.

"Please tell us what we should do, Shin," Verizion said.

Everyone began to look at me expectantly. Sewaddle, especially, looked eager to hear of my plan.

Since when did I become our team's go-to man for plans? I thought wryly.

"Well, from what I saw, we're definitely even against his team. His allies are Archen, Petilil and Blitzle. Each of their types are Rock and Flying, Grass, and Electric. For our team, we have Grass, Electric, Fighting and Bug. As you can see, we each have types that are strong and weak against each other. We'll have to take on an opponent we can handle by ourselves in case we can't support each other."

My plan was simple. Silvy would take on Blitzel; Sewaddle would take on Petilil; I would handle Archen; Verizion would take on Carracosta. If any one of us were to finish off our designated opponent first, we would go support the nearest ally. It was a straightforward plan.

Before going to challenge Carracosta's gang, we checked our bags to make sure we had items ready. Each of us carried a couple Oran Berries, a Heal Seed, and a Reviver Seed. The Heal Seed would cure of us any bad status ailment such as poison or paralysis. The Reviver Seed would bring us back from the brink of unconsciousness but we had to be careful to not get to that point as there weren't many to go around back in Paradise, plus they were expensive to buy making them that much more valuable.

When we were ready to take them on, we walked together into the clearing and openly challenged Carracosta.

"Carracosta! We of Team Starlight will bring you to justice!" Silvy declared.

"Yeah! We're going to beat you, so get ready!" Sewaddle added.

Carracosta turned to us with an evil grin.

"Heheh. Think you can beat us?! You're just a weak team of adventurers. You have no idea how tough real Pokémon are!" he said mockingly.

He motioned his minions to approach us. While they approached us, we took our marks and stood in front of them.

"Get ready to be pounded into the ground, weaklings!" Carracosta yelled.

That was Carracosta's signal to attack us. When Blitzle, Archen, and Petilil charged at us, Verizion took that chance to get out of the way and made her way towards Carracosta. As for the rest of us, we had our own problem against our opponent. Archen was wary of me since he knew I had the type advantage. This Pokémon was a colorful, flightless bird. The base of the tail, feet, collar, and beak were a rusty red color and its body and the majority of its wings were full of a dull gold plumage. The single feather at the end of its tail was the color of the blue sky along with the end feathers of its wings. Sharp claws were sticking out of the feathers of its wings and its beak. Thanks to the many previous adventures I had with Silvy and Team Starlight, I had been gaining more and more experience. This experience had allowed to me to learn new moves and grow stronger. One of the new moves I had learned was Thunder Wave, a special move that allowed me to paralyze my opponent. I sent out a paralytic surge of electricity towards Archen and managed to hit and prevent him from moving.

As soon my chance came, I took the chance to send out an Electro Ball, another move I had learned recently. Without anywhere to run, Archen was left defenseless. Electro Ball was a move that generated an orb of electricity as the move said. I gathered all the electricity in my body towards my tail and formed a ball of electricity, swirling violently in its form. When I gathered enough of a charge, I flung the ball towards Archen and electrocuted him until he became incapacitated. I breathed a sigh a relief and headed towards the closest teammate.

Things didn't go as planned as Petilil and Blitzle worked together to attack Silvy and Sewaddle. Since they considered Sewaddle to be the weaker of the two, they focused more on attacking him and keeping Silvy at bay.

"Eat this, small fry!"

Blitzle sent out a Thundershock at Sewaddle. Silvy pushed him out of the way and took the brunt of the attack.

"Silvy!" I cried.

I hurried to Silvy's side and gave her an Oran Berry. Even though her strength returned, stamina was still something that couldn't easily be regained quickly. Sewaddle was too stunned to make any move against the enemy as they readied to attack again. Petilil this time was going to use Razor Leaf so I sent out a Thundershock. Out of desperation, I forgot that Blitzle could absorb nearby electricity making Electric type moves useless as long as he was around.

"Silvy, can you move and get somewhere safe?"

"Y-yeah. I think so. But what are you going to do? You can't take them both on!"

"Silvy! Let me help Shin! I'm sorry I couldn't help so let me make it up now!" Sewaddle cried.

"There you have it, Silvy. I'll be fine."

As I tried to have Silvy trust me, Blitzle charged at us with its move, Pursuit.

"Don't think I'll let you relax!" he yelled.

I couldn't move freely with Silvy resting behind me. I was ready to take the move head on, but Sewaddle intercepted him with String Shot. String Shot used the sticky silk from Sewaddle's mouth to wrap around Blitzle and stop and trip him. This was a set-back for Blitlze as it struggled to release himself.

"See? I can help to!"

"I think Sewaddle has proven to be capable of helping me, Silvy"

"Okay okay. You win. Sewaddle, please look after him."

"You can count on me."

Sewaddle was glad Silvy trusted him and joined me in taking down Blitzle as he finally tore himself free from Sewaddle's string shot. The main problem I had is that any electric moves I use will be absorbed by him. Sewaddle was going to have do most of the attacking.

"Sewaddle, I'll leave the attacking to you. I'll be the decoy!"

"Got it, Shin!"

I started off by meeting Blitzle head on with a Quick Attack. Blitzle in turn countered with Flame Charge. Flame Charage allowed Blitzle to cloak itself in flame and then charge at its opponent. We collided in our attacks and the force knocked us back.

"Kuh!"

Strong..!

Sewaddle took this chance to unleash his Razor Leaf at Bllitzle as he caught his breath. I took my chance and charged again with Quick Attack, not giving Blitzle any time to breath. To make sure Blitzle did not escape, Sewaddle used String Shot again to bind him.

Blitzle saw the incoming attack and dodged in time. This time he didn't leave any openings as he immediately charged at me with a Flame Charge. I readied myself again to meet Blitzle with a Quick Attack but Blitzle performed a feint and rushed towards Sewaddle.

"Get out of the way Sewaddle!" I cried desperately.

Sewaddle tried to use String Shot to bind and stop Blitzle but the flame cloak he was wrapped in burned that string and did allow for it to connect. With his String Shot failing, Sewaddle panicked and then suffered major damage from the type difference. The move sent Sewaddle flying but luckily Silvy caught him with her Vine Whip.

"You okay, Sewaddle?"

"I'm okay. I can still fight."

I could only let out a breath of relief as I saw Sewaddle to be OK. My focus was then directed at Blitzle.

"How dare you hurt my friend..!"

Rage propelled me forward and made my Quick Attack faster and stronger. This must have caught Blitzle off guard as he had a look of surprise as he was flung back. Silvy and Sewaddle followed up on my surprise attack by unleashing a Leaf Tornado and Razor Leaf. Just like me, the many adventures we've been through allowed Silvy to learn new moves, Leaf Tornado being one of them. She whipped a whirlwind of leaves around her and by force of will guided the tornado towards Blitzle. He was then enveloped in the tornado and the leaves began shredding and dealing damage. When the leaves calmed, we could see that Blitzle had been subdued.

Petilil was watching on the sidelines, afraid to interfere, but after watching us fight and seeing Blitlze lose, Petilil had lost her nerve and surrendered peacefully.

"Thanks for the help," I said.

"Thank you for giving us an opening," Silvy said happily.

I turned to Sewaddle to thank him but he had his down and was trembling.

"Hey, Sewaddle. Are you okay…?" I asked

"…. …. "

"Sewaddle…?" Silvy asked worriedly.

"…. … …That…was… so cool!" he yelled.

Both of looked confused at Sewaddle's jubilation.

"Did you see how we took down Blitzle together?! Did you see how I helped Team Starlight?!"

Sewaddle was excited over how he contributed in taking down a foe. I would have shared in his excitement but this request wasn't over yet.

"We can celebrate after we subdue Carracosta. Come on, let's go help Verizion!" I said.

"After you, fearless leader," Silvy teased.

"That's my line," I smiled wryly.

"You two are really close, aren't you?" Sewaddle observed.

"Of course! We've been together since the beginning. I couldn't have made it this far without Silvy!" I said happily.

"Wow. You're amazing Silvy."

Silvy followed while being flustered and embarrassed from praise from the both of us.

Virizion herself was having a little trouble with Carracosta. Despite being stronger than him and having a type advantage, she was still being pushed back by his strength. What accounted for this was his constant avoidance of not inducing Virizion's ability and using Brine and Aqua Jet. Brine was a Water type move that doubled in strength when his strength was nearly gone. After using it, he'd follow up with Aqua Jet that allowed him to close the distance in the blink of an eye not giving Virizion any time to breathe. Once Carracosta was up close, he would use Brine and repeat his process.

Carracosta was about to shoot out another Brine when Sewaddle used String Shot to bind his body, making him fall over. When he effortlessly broke free, I sent out a Thunderwave to give us some borrowed time to regroup.

"Virizion, are you okay?!" Silvy asked.

"Yes, I'm still standing thankfully."

She says that, but I can tell she's trying her best to not let her fatigue show.

It was urgent to get our teamwork together before the Paralysis wore off.

"Virizion, do you have any advice on Carracosta?"

"Not very much, I'm afraid. I backed him into a corner which is why he's only using two of his moves right now. He seems to be a real powerhouse in my opinion."

"If that's the case, then we'll have to approach him carefully. He's on his last leg after all," I cautioned.

As Carracosta was finally getting up, we decided to work together with me leading the attack. As he was preparing to get close using Aqua Jet, I let out an Electro Ball to intercept. It hits mark and caused Carracosta to momentarily stop from the pain.

"Now!"

On my signal, Silvy, Sewaddle and Virizion unleashed a storm of leaves on Carracosta. Silvy used her Leaf Tornado; Sewaddle used his Razor Leaf; and Virizion used Magical Leaf, which never missed.

"Grahh!"

Carracosta let out a roar of pain and finally collapsed, defeated. With Carracosta finally down, I sat on the ground because of all the exhaustion catching up to me.

"That's quite the gamble you played, Shin," Virizion said.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Virizion."

"Still, that was pretty reckless. Your whole plan hinged on how close Carracosta was to being defeated. If he wasn't as tired, your plan would have failed and he would have counterattacked the closest one: you," Silvy chastised.

"I trust my team. Don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then I had nothing to worry about!" I said with a smile.

Knowing that I made an argument that was hard to beat, Silvy could only pout in dissatisfaction.

"Well Sewaddle, would you like to do the honors?"

"Can I?!"

"Sure. This is to commemorate your first request with Team Starlight."

Virizion and Silvy both agreed to my proposal and Sewaddle happily made his way towards Carracosta. In order to fulfill requests pertaining to defeating a mark or rescuing a stranded Pokémon, we had to hold up our Team Badge towards the Pokémon and then they would be transported back to Paradise Center.

I never fail to be impressed by how such a small item has amazing power.

Sewaddle's team badge began to glow softly and then Carracosta began to glow as well as he slowly disappeared back to Paradise Center. Virizion and Silvy also sent Carracosta's minions back to Paradise Center as I looked over the treasure we found on our way here. Over all, this was a very productive request. Silvy then gathered us together to head back to Paradise.

"Is everyone ready?"

""Yes!""

"Alright! Let's head back to Paradise!"

On Silvy's command, we held our team badges above our heads and we were transported back to Paradise Center.

We had handed over Carracosta and his underlings to Quagsire as he had jurisdiction over requests that pertained to bringing in marks. Quagsire took in the Pokémon and everyone dispersed to go about their own business. Only Silvy and I were left in Paradise Center.

"What do you say to a bite to eat, Shin?" asked Silvy.

"Sure, I could go for a bite to eat."

"Okay, but you get to treat me."

"Why?! You're the one inviting."

"Well it's only right for the guy to treat the girl, right?"

"Kuh!"

I couldn't beat her logic so she giggled and we headed towards Swanna's Inn.

The next morning came but I didn't dream at all.

I didn't…have any dreams last night…

"Morning, Shin! You're already up? So…how about it? Any dreams? Were you able to see anything new?"

I shook my head at her question.

"No, huh? Well no need to rush things. I'm sure they'll come to you when the time is right. So let's give it our all again today!"

"Right."

In order to cheer me up, Silvy did her best to encourage me with a bright smile. I could only just do my best and continue on through the day. After all, I couldn't say I wasn't energized by her smile.

When we stepped outside, Dunsparce and Emolga were waiting to greet us.

"Good morning!"

"Let's get out there and tackle another day!"

After they greeted us, we turned around ready to head to Paradise Center when Lillipup and Leavanny came up to us. Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon, was a small Pokémon that really did resemble a puppy. He had a cute pink button nose and had wide black eyes. His face was bushy and was a chestnut color, a contrast to his almond colored body. He had a small patch of purple fur that resembled a cape. Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon, was a tall Bug and Grass type Pokémon. Her ruby eyes complimented her pale yellow head and antennae. Her hands were sharp leaves that had a crescent cut in the center. She wore a grass colored cap that reached as high as her antenna. Her chest and legs were emerald colored while her thin feet and thorax were the same color as her head. Her grass colored tail skirt along with her cap somehow gave her a motherly air to her.

"Huh? Isn't that Leavanny and LIllipup? What's up?" Emolga asked.

Leavanny looked distressed as she began pleading for her help,

"I'm sorry, but I must ask your help! My son… Please find my Swadloon!"

"Swadloon? Do you mean he's gone missing?"

"Yes… He was already gone by the time I awoke this morning. At first I thought he had just gone off to play somewhere...but when I asked his friend Lillipup, he told me Swadloon wasn't with him!"

"When I heard what happened from Auntie Leavanny, I checked all our favorite places to play around town…but I couldn't find him…"

"Normally I wouldn't be so worried, but… Everyone has been saying there is a suspicious Pokémon around town… So I just can't sit here doing nothing!"

"Yeah, I see why you're worried," I said.

"Got it! We'll go look for him!" Silvy said reassuringly.

"Th-thank you so much! We very much appreciate your help. We will also continue searching wherever we can!"

"Do you know anywhere else Swadloon might go?" I asked.

"Hmm… I guess Breezy Meadow… and Inflora Forest…" Lillipup answered.

Everyone was shocked at the revelation of Lillipup's revelation.

"Wha-? Inflora Forest?" Dunsparce gasped.

"Lillipup! You and my son have been playing in a dangerous place like Inflora Frest?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Auntie Leavanny! But you can find all kinds of rare things there a-and…"

As Lillipup with struggling against Leavanny's chastising, Silvy came to his rescue,

"Well, never mind that for now. More importantly…it sounds like Inflora Forest is the more dangerous of the two, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then we'll go check out the forest. You should go look in Breezy Meadow."

"Of course. I'm sorry for the trouble, but we're counting on you!"

With that, Lillipup and Leavanny continued their search for Swadloon.

Emolga and everyone else turned their gazes towards me.

"Shin… It's up to you to decide who'll go with you into Inflora Forest. Anyone left behind will just have to keep searching around here."

What's with this sudden pressure on me?

"Good plan. We've all got to pitch in. Shin! Let's pick a party and head out! We're going to go to Inflora Forest and find Swadloon!"

Inflora Forest was to the northwest of Post Town. Our mission here was to find Swadloon, the Leaf-Wrapped Pokémon. He was a little more than a foot tall and had a grassy colored leaf wrapped around his pale yellow body like a hood and a coat. Shrubs could be seen at the bottom of his hood-coat shuffling along with him whenever he walked or ran along Lillipup. At the pace we went, it felt like the time when Silvy and I were returning from Stoney Cave with the blue gems for Gurdurr. When we arrived, the forest stood tall ahead of us. An opening nearby indicated that many Pokémon came in an out at times. There was nothing of interest at the entrance to the forest save a tree stump and three violet tulips growing by the entrance.

"So this is Inflora Forest?" I asked.

"It looks so big…" Dunsparce said, amazed.

"How are we supposed to find Swadloon in this place?" Emolga asked.

"We'll find him. Let's stay positive and head in," Silvy said strongly.

Progressing through the forest wasn't very difficult. Although the forest was somewhat dark, there was still sufficient light for one to see the path. The sunlight played with the shadows and made one almost believe there was a something moving when there really wasn't.

Is Silvy…?

I could see Silvy looking nervously every direction. Her hands were holding herself as she led us through the forest.

"Silvy, if you're scared, then you can let one of us take the lead," I advised.

"Heh…heh…heh. What are you talking about Shin? Are you saying I'm scared?"

"Silvy there's a ghost right behind you!" Emolga yelled.

"Eyaaaa!"

Noticing how scared Silvy obviously was, Emolga didn't let the chance to scare her slip by.

"Um…Silvy, could you let go? I know you're scared, but that was just Emolga pulling a prank on you."

As soon as Silvy screamed in fright, she rushed over to me and held me for comfort. It would have been fine but her hold was not letting me breath very well.

"Emolga! What was that for?!" Silvy yelled.

"Hahaha! I couldn't help it. It was too good a chance to pass up," Emolga laughed mischievously.

"Emolga, that wasn't very nice. You even had me scared for a bit," Dunsparce confessed.

Emolga still couldn't stop laughing. Meanwhile, I asked Silvy again to loosen her hold. She released me but slowly, if not somewhat reluctantly. Her face seemed a little red so I thought it she was still fuming over her being tricked.

"Okay okay. Emolga, since you seem to be able to see ghosts before any one of us, you can take the lead. Dunsparce will follow behind you, followed by me and Silvy."

"Oh well. It was totally worth it."

Without showing any remorse, Emolga took the lead happily. Thus we continued our search for Swadloon.

"Um…Shin? Do you mind if I stay close to you? Just in case, I mean."

"Sure Silvy. I don't mean to sound forward, but I'll protect you if we encounter any ghosts."

"Thank you…Shin"

As we progressed further, we came into a clearing in the forest. The way the clearing looked, one would think the season changed in the blink of an eye. The forest and the ground lost their vivid color and became dull colors of autumn. We took a look around and saw there were multiple paths for us to take. Oddly enough, the flowers growing beside each path were growing with bright and vivid colors. The entire clearing paled in comparison, almost like the flowers were beacons in the night. One path had the same tulips the entrance growing. Another had a grove of hydrangeas growing while the last path had a bush of chrysanthemums standing guard.

"Umm…what path should we go through?" Dunsparce asked worriedly.

"I say we go through the path that has the yellow flowers!" Emolga declared.

"Any particular reason why?" Silvy questioned.

"It's the closest path to us!" he said proudly.

"No better reason that that." I said sarcastically.

Since Emolga was leading us, we followed him through the path with the chrysanthemums growing next to it. As we walked down the path, I felt that there was something wrong. There were no wild Pokémon, just a path.

"Look! There's light at the end!" Emolga said excitedly.

When we came out into the clearing, it was clear that we had come back to the entrance. The same tree stump was right where we saw it and the tulips were growing from where we came out of.

"This is strange. Didn't we just go through here?" Silvy asked.

"Seems like we took a path that took us back to the entrance. I guess there are paths that deter Pokémon from going further and brings them back to the entrance."

If that was the case, then maybe there's a secret to this forest.

Dunsparce himself was admiring the tulips with Emolga while Silvy and I thought of what to do next.

"Hey, Shin? I noticed something that could be a clue."

"What is it Dunsparce?"

"Remember how there were flowers at the other clearing? That clearing had tulips growing just like these here. Do you think there is a connection?"

"Maybe. If there are tulips here and there, then maybe they're showing us what path to take. Worth a shot."

"Okay! Then I'll take us right back and get us to go on the right path!" Emolga said.

It seemed that Emolga was taking the leadership role seriously.

"Even though you got us to come back to the entrance," Dunsparce mutterd.

Silvy and I could only laugh at their antics.

Back in the clearing, we all made sure to find and take the path indicated by the tulips growing nearby. Wild Pokémon were visible down this path some running away from our presence while others challenging us. Croagunk were common in this forest. When Croagunk were not getting in our way, it was either a Litwick or a Cottonee. Litwick, the Candle Pokémon, was both a Ghost type and a Fire type. The Ghost half of their types made them appear spooky by having eerily glowing eyes and a blue flame burning on their head. Also in this forest were Cottonee, the Cotton Puff Pokémon, which resembled a cotton ball with leaves on its sides, would float whimsically until they came in contact with us. They would then turn hostile and begin attacking us. In order to prevent them from attacking us, Dunsparce would raise himself upright and have his pattern on his belly glow. What Dunsparce was doing was using his move, Glare, which paralyzed any opponent that saw the move. When Cottonee became paralyzed we would proceed without conflict.

Meanwhile, Swadloon had progressed deep into the forest. He looked around making sure it was safe to proceed.

"I've come pretty far in."

A presence, exhausted from running, was drawing closer to the same clearing that Swadloon was in.

"Yeah. This looks like a spot for finding something good. I sure hope there's something. Time to start looking!"

Swadloon then enthusiastically began to scavenge the ground for the item he desired. He looked through the ground and shrubs nearby in hopes of discovering something special.

The strange presence drew closer to the light, nearly giving out from a lack of energy.

"Huh? The dirt is kinda piled up right here… It looks like… It looks like maybe there's something buried here… Guess it's time to do some digging!"

With a good feeling that where he was going to dig had treasure buried underneath, Swadloon eagerly began digging. When he finished out came out a ruby, and some cards.

The moment Swadloon finished digging up the contents of the mound, a pair of eyes was observing him.

"Wow! A red gem! This is perfect! If I bring this home, I'm sure she'll love it… Let's see… And what're these? They've got some kinda strange patterns, that's for sure…"

Taking the chance, the stranger approached Swadloon. Swadloon turned around after hearing something approaching him.

"…Ah—!"

The next clearing we came across wasn't as dark as the forest itself, but still dark. The whole area was dyed in a deep denim color. It almost appeared that light did not reach this part of the forest. Even though this was another clearing, Swadloon was still nowhere to be found. All we could do was continue forward. Being careful to follow the same path as the previous clearing, we took the path that had the tulips growing nearby.

The area here wasn't as long as the previous ones and the enemies were few and far. We mostly encountered Foongus and Swinub, the Pig Pokémon. Swinub was both a Ground and Ice type. It resembled a big brown fur ball with black stripes on its back. It had eyes that were closed and a pig nose. Although I could deal damage to Swinub, it was minimal because of its protection granted by its Ground characteristics. Dunsparce would take over whenever we ecountered Swinub.

Some time had passed since we entered the forest. Silvy was the first to notice how much progress we made into the forest.

"We've come pretty far in…" she said, "Hey, Shin! Over there! Doesn't that look like another clearing up ahead? Let's check it out!"

With another clearing in view, Silvy quickly ran ahead to investigate. The rest of us had to play catch up in order not to lose her.

"Hey, it's Swadloon! So this is where you ran off to!" I exclaimed.

"Augh!"

"Whoa, sorry! We didn't mean to sneak up on you!" Dunsparce apologized.

"Wh-what do you want?" Swadloon asked.

"We're here to bring you home. Let's head back to town." Silvy responded.

"Bring me home? Well, I was just about to go home myself… But I come here all the time, Miss! I've never needed any help before! I don't really see what the big deal is," he said defiantly.

"You know there's a notice circulating around town, don't you? A notice that says not to go out? So when your mom couldn't find you, she was worried sick! You shouldn't put her through too much trouble, you hear?" I chastised.

"…Yeah, OK, mister."

"They say there's some suspicious Pokémon who's been spotted near the town. That means this place isn't safe either. But…well, thank goodness you didn't actually run into that dangerous Pokémon," Silvy said, relieved.

"… …"

"Come on. Let's get you home."

Back in Paradise Center, Swadloon stood before her mother and Lilipup. All of us from Team Starlight brought Swadloon back to his mother, Leavanny.

"M-Mom…"

"Oh, Swadloon! Are you alright? I was so worried…"

"I-I'm sorry, Mom… I went to get you this."

Wiping away his tears of guilt, Swadloon pulled out the ruby he had found in Inflora Fores and gave it to Leavanny.

"Is this…"

"It's a red stone. It looks like a real gem or something, right? Isn't it pretty? It's your birthday after all, Mom, so… I wanted to get you something…"

Leavanny was taken aback by Swadloon's consideration for his mother and her birthday.

"Oh, you foolish…sweet boy. Thank you…"

Leavanny held her son while she cried tears of relief and joy.

"I was worried, too, you know! Why'd you have to go off on your own like that, huh? You coulda just told me you were going to find your mom a present! I totally woulda gone with you!" Lillipup said disappointingly.

"Sorry, Lillipup…"

Lillipup then went and cuddled Swadloon as they both began to cry. One for not telling his friend anything, the other for being relieved his friend was okay.

"Shin…Silvy… I owe you so much for today… Thank you both so very much! Please accept this, I know it isn't much."

Leavanny came up to the both of us and handed us a token of her appreciation. She gave us a small sum of Poké dollars. It may have been only 500, but really, we appreciated more the fact that Leavanny had her son back, safe and sound.

"Well then, we'll be going home now."

"I'm sorry for making everybody worry."

"Thanks, Shin and Silvy!"

With those farewells, Leavanny, Swadloon, and Lillipup went back to their homes.

"All's well that ends well, huh?" Emolga said happily.

"I'm glad nothing happened to Swadloon," Dunsparce said, relieved.

"They're real good friends, aren't they? Those two kids."

"…Yeah. Watching the two of them kinda makes everything seem a bit better, huh? It's nice, huh? Having family and friends like that…" Silvy said with a small smile in her face.

Family…and friends... … …Now that I think about it… I wonder…where Silvy's family is. I've never really considered it before…

"… … …"

Everyone was grinning for a job well done. Only Silvy had a distant look in her eyes as she smiled softly along with everyone. I don't think anyone noticed that tiny sadness in the corner of her eyes, not even I at the time.


	7. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Another day had passed and we went back home to sleep. Some time had passed since we turned in, but Silvy could not sleep.

"… … … Hey, Shin… You still awake? I just can't seem to sleep in this humidity… Shin… You know, when I was watching Leavanny and the others today, it made me think… You've got friends and family, too, right? In your world, Shin. The human world. How…do you think they're feeling now? Are you all close?"

"… … …"

"… … …I…I don't…have anyone like that. Parents… Brothers or sisters…"

… …

"I've been alone as long as I can remember. I never had any friends either… I wanted them, but I couldn't make any. The relationships between Pokémon just aren't very good in this world… If we could just get along a little better… But everyone's so quick to pick fights. Even Pokémon who seem like friends on the surface really aren't… No one says what they mean. It's all just lies and lip service… I just can't live like that. That's why I've never had any friends up until now. I was probably no different from Virizion, not that I think about it…"

…You were like that too…?

"But you know… At least I never stopped looking. Not just for some superficial alliance…but for someone I could trust with the real me. A true friend. I thought how great it'd be to actually do something real with that kind of friend. Like making this kind of paradise… And that's why…every day here is really so much fun for me. Thank you, Shin. I hope…these days will continue…"

"Yeah…me too, Silvy."

"Oh, you were awake?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"You were saying something very important. I didn't want to interrupt."

"Oh, you…!"

Even in the weak light that the stars provided, I could still see how embarrassed Silvy was after confessing.

"Haha."

"What so funny?!"

"I just find it cute how embarrassed you are."

"Cu-cute! Don't be ridiculous."

She said this, but I could see mixed expression of happiness and indignation.

"Well, for not telling me you were awake, you have to take responsibility!"

"Responsibility?"

"Yes! You also have to tell me something!"

"Hmm….how about I talk about where I'm from?"

"Okay. You did promise you would tell me about it. We've been together for a while now, but you've never talked about yourself. Not once."

"There was never time to talk about. Our days were full of adventure and I just got caught up on it and never had the chance to bring it up."

"Then please, tell me about yourself. You can make it up to me by doing that…and one more thing?"

"One more thing? What's that?"

"You let me lay down next to you as you talk?"

"Lay down next to me? But our beds only fit one."

"That's okay! I can move mine so that it can fit two with yours."

I laughed at her childishness as I said, "Okay, go ahead then."

Her smile seemed to glow from starlight as her happiness was displayed on her face. She got up and started to move her bedding and combined with mine. After she finished, our beds looked like it was meant for one big Pokémon. She got comfortable and laid down next to me.

"Comfortable?"

"Mmhm. Now please, talk about where you're from."

"Alright. I guess I should start with who I am back in the human world. Let's see…"

"The place I come from has buildings made of concrete, buildings made out of very smooth stone. There are windows of different colors, doors in every home, and food can be bought just about anywhere outside. Where I lived was an orphanage, a place where children with no family went."

"You didn't have any family?"

"No, I didn't. I'm just like you. I grew up not knowing my parents. For as long as I can remember, I've always been living in that orphanage along with others."

"Were there a lot of children in that orphanage?"

"Yes. You could say that I took care of them all?"

"Did you really?!"

"In a way, yes. Every day I would get up early and cook the breakfast for all the children. The caretaker of that house didn't really care for us so we had to take care of ourselves. I was the oldest there and I took it upon myself to take care of them. Some were like me. Others lost their parents. And others were abandoned."

"How terrible…"

"We weren't lonely because we had each other to care for one another. Everyone looked up to me as their elder brother. I took care of them, I fed them, I washed them, and I raised them to be good people. Some may have even viewed me as their father."

"Were you happy with that…?"

"Hmm… Well, it was exhausting. I spent most of my life taking care of the others there, barely having any time to myself. But yes, I was happy. I was giving them something that I didn't have, a family; a person who cared; a friend."

"What did you do for fun?"

"I would usually play with the little ones. They always dragged me around and made me play with them, so I was never bored. When I had time for myself, I spent it reading books. I spent my time educating myself because I didn't have the time to go to school."

"School?"

"School is a place where people go to learn. They learn lots of things there. They learn history, math, art; lots of things. It's a place where you can not only learn, but also make friends," I said happily.

"Did the children go to school?"

"They did, I made sure of it. I may not have had the chance to go, but I wasn't going to let them miss their chance. Whenever they came home, they always told me stories of how their days went. I had always wondered what it was like to go to school, so hearing stories of it from them somehow fulfilled that desire. Whenever they need help with their homework, I happily helped. I learned a lot just by being with them."

"Speaking of learning, how did you learn to be so perceptive? Back when we went after Scraggy, you were going to tell how you came to like that."

"Oh, that's easy. Being the eldest, I naturally had to watch over everyone. I had to be able to tell who was lying and who needed help. You wouldn't believe how many tried to pull a wool over my eye. Others often needed help but were too shy to say anything, so I had to approach them. It was a lot of detective work sometimes."

"It sounds like you lived quite the happy life, Shin…"

"It sounds like it doesn't it? But to be honest, I wasn't very happy. I mean, I never looked sad or depressed. Being around the kids of the orphanage always made me happy."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I guess I'm a lot like you. I never knew my parents. I didn't have friends in the beginning. I didn't have anyone I could confide to. The children all looked up to me so I couldn't show them that the person they admired was secretly sad that he didn't have someone to talk to. I wasn't an equal among them. I was there elder brother, there caretaker; someone that they could rely on and confide in."

"That's ridiculous! I'm sure any one of those children would have happily listened to you and comforted if need be! Did you ever think about how they may feel about it?!"

"I did Silvy, I really did. But, I placed everyone there ahead of me. I did my best to make sure that even though they didn't have family, they could still feel loved by being part of our family. Whenever new children arrived at the orphanage, I was always the first along with a few others to greet and welcome them to their new home. It may not have been much, but at least they would never feel alone."

"It sounds like a very difficult job. I'm amazed you could even handle that all on your own."

"I didn't do everything by myself. I made sure to teach everyone how to take care of themselves. I taught them how to clean and cook. We all helped out at the orphanage. There was never one person that had nothing to do. By doing this, even if something were to happen to me, everyone there would be able to take care of themselves."

"Wow. You really thought of everything, didn't you?"

"Mmhm. This is also the reason why I wasn't so worried about returning. Everyone there can take care of themselves. In fact, I would eventually have to leave the orphanage. When a child becomes old enough, that child has to leave and begin fending for themselves."

"How cruel…"

"Maybe, but don't all children have to leave their homes eventually? Life's an adventure and when you finally become ready to take that adventure, you'll be amazed at what you'll see and experience."

I had the same enthusiasm that Silvy displayed when I first met her. We really weren't that different from each other. We both never knew our parents; we both never had any friends to rely on; we both shared a sense of adventure; we both kept searching for that one special person to call a friend.

"What about now? Do you miss the people you took care of…?"

"Hmm…I don't know… A part of me does. I do worry how they are doing without me. Some of them depended on me to do so many simple things, it's laughable," I chuckled lightly.

"Oh…"

"But another part says that they don't need my help. I did my best and in some strange way, this a chance to see if they can take care of themselves. I feel at ease when I think of it this way and I can keep going on adventures and enjoy my time here."

"Really?"

"Really."

A pause occurred where we just laid there and stared into the darkness. I was couldn't really say anything until Silvy broke it,

"What did you like to do in your free time?"

"Umm…mostly read. I never went to school and the children always had questions. If I had wanted to help, I needed to lean a lot. At first reading was more to help everyone. Eventually it came to be a favorite activity for me in my spare time. Stories of adventures and mystery were my favorites."

"I guess that's also where you got your perceptive powers, huh?"

"Hahah. Maybe."

Another pause. This one wasn't as awkward as the one before. We just took comfort in each other's presence.

"We really aren't that different from each other are we?"

"No, not really. We may both come from different worlds, but we still found each other. I was really glad that didn't I have to wander this world alone. I'm happy that I met you when I came to the Pokémon world. Every day has always been full of laughter, smiles, and adventures. Not once have I been disappointed to be here. It's all because of you."

"Shin…That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me…"

Even though she was embarrassed she still looked at me without turning away, flushed and with a half-grin. Her unwavering gaze left me flustered as I answered,

"W-well, it is true isn't it? I know I may not be from this world, but as long as I'm here, you'll never be alone. We'll always have each other," I consoled.

"Thank you, Shin. You always know just what to say to make a girl feel happy," she said, blushing.

She laid there next to me, not saying a word. I also didn't know what to say. The atmosphere between us had become really awkward.

Uwaaah…I can really feel her body heat! And her smell, she smells like fresh grass and the forest trees. It's a really peaceful scent.

Somehow I had managed to begin really noticing the fact that she was a female. This had made my heart race faster and made it difficult to stay calm.

Just as I was at my wits end, Silvy spoke up.

"….I think I can finally go to sleep now. You should probably go to sleep, too."

"Yeah. We had a long day. Some rest will do us good."

"Shin?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I sleep with you? I'd sleep better if I'm with you," she said shyly

"Uh…um…sure, by all means," I said in a fluster.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow, Shin. Good night."

"Good night, Silvy."

I don't know why, but even though my heart was beating fast, I didn't have any trouble falling asleep that night.

That same night, a stranger was panting heavily as it approached the gates of Post Town. Its strength was rapidly fading as it reached the entrance until it finally collapsed and blacked out a little past the gate.

The next morning arrived much faster than I was accustomed. Perhaps because of the Pokémon sleeping next to me made my heart race, time seemed to speed up. I awoke before Silvy did and noticed she had my hand clasped in hers. Maybe the dream she had made her reach out to someone for comfort, only she knew. I gently released the grip and got up from bed. I took a seat by the table and drank some water and had an apple.

Why does it feel like we are newlyweds? I thought wryly.

Despite being originally human, I still couldn't help to notice this feeling within me. It was nothing when I was helping the kids of the orphanage. With them I gave them sound advice and helped them in their endeavors. I never had my chance at romance and didn't give much thought to it. Who would have thought that my chance would come in a different world?

"How's that for irony?" I muttered.

Silvy began to get up and rub the sleepiness from her eyes.

"Good morning, Shin."

"Morning, Silvy."

She came over to table and looked at me with a big grin and her hands behind her back.

"Let's give it our all again today!"

"Yeah, let's have another good day of adventuring."

Another day of adventure was waiting outside that door. The day looked like it would be another good one. This thought passed through my head as Emolga came frantically towards us.

"Shin! Silvy!"

"Emolga! What's up?" Silvy asked, surprised.

"He's here! In Post Town! The suspicious Pokémon!"

""What?!""

"You mean… The suspicious Pokémon that HAPPI sent a notice about—that suspicious Pokémon?!"

"Well, I don't know about that… It seems like this Pokémon collapsed on his way here to Post Town…"

"Collapsed?" I asked.

"Yeah. He's been taken to the inn already, and the Signora's looking after him. I got a glance at him, at least. He didn't look all that scary to me…"

"So basically there's no guarantee that he's even a bad Pokémon." Silvy said with a sigh.

"Yeah. But he's not from around here and no one's ever seen him before, so… It all seems pretty suspicious. Gurdurr's already there assuming the worst. He started treating this new Pokémon like a bad guy right away. It's not pretty."

"Got it. We'll swing by the inn then," I said.

"Yeah, you do that. I'll go get the others together."

"Silvy? Let's go see how things are going at the inn."

"Right! I'm worried, so I, too, want to check things out."

At the town square, there was a crowd of Pokémon in front of the inn gossiping as to who and what the suspicious Pokémon was. They were telling their own versions of how they met the Pokémon or what they think he looks like. Most were baseless rumors they were spreading though.

"Whoa. There are so many Pokémon here," Silvy noticed.

We went closer to the crowd in order to get past the crowd.. Patrat and Ducklett noticed us and Silvy tried to get them to step aside.

"'Scuse me, could you let us through? Sorry."

Ducklett and Patrat stepped aside without a word and the both of us proceeded in. We hurried to the top of the inn and saw Gurdurr interrogating the Pokémon resting on the bed.

"Don't you play innocent with me, bub! I want to hear some straight answers! What kind of plot are you brewing, coming to our town like this?!"

The Pokémon that Gurdurr was harassing was an evolution form of an Eevee, Umbreon. Umbreon had a jet black coat with luminescent rings on each of its four legs with the hind legs having bigger rings. His tail also had a ring that wrapped around the tail as well as his ears. On his forehead was another ring that shown like the moon. His eyes were a deep ruby color that complimented his night coat.

"No… I…I never… Ugh…"

"Gurdurr. He's still in pain. Stop being so ridiculous," Swanna chastised.

"Urgh! B-but Swanna… He could just be pretending to be hurt, you know? Then, once everyone's let their guard down, that's when he'll strike!"

"Don't be absurd. He isn't you, after all."

"… …Sorry."

Gurdurr could not argue with Swanna for he, at one point, did exactly as he thought Umbreon would do.

"This is the Pokémon that collapsed?" I asked.

"Aye, that's right, sonny," Herdier answered, " I was just oot for me morning' stroll and ye cannae imagine me shock! Findin' a poor hurt Pokémon lyin' there in the road!"

"I dunno. He doesn't look like a bad, guy, but… Well, he's not from around here, right? So we don't know for sure…" Timburr said warily.

Just then, Emolga had arrived from gathering everyone together and bringing them to the inn.

"Sorry for the wait, everybody! I brought Dunsparce and Virizion, too!"

Dunsparce and Virizion were behind Emolga, but when Virizion saw Umbreon, she was quite surprised.

"…Oh! Umbreon!"

Everyone in the room was stunned to know that Virizion knew the mysterious Pokémon.

"Umbreon… What happened to you? What's his condition?" she asked Swanna.

"He'll pull through. He's been injured, but…it mostly just seems to be exhaustion at this point. Give him some time and some rest, and I think he'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Thank goodness…"

"Virizion, you know this Pokémon?" Silvy asked.

"I know him. His name is Umbreon. He's a dungeon researcher."

"A dungeon…researcher?"

"Yes. Umbreon researches the mysterious powers present in this land, including the dungeons. That research was his life. Especially his investigations of the Great Glacier."

"The…the Great Glacier?!" Dunsparce exclaimed.

"Do you remember what I told you all before, when we saw that mirage? That I had seen the Great Glacier up close, from a mountain on the seaside? That's when I met Umbreon."

"Hoho, so that's the truth o'it! Here we all were, blatherin' on aboot nothin'! Seems there's nae a thing tae worry aboot wi; this here lad."

Everyone was content with Virizion knowing who Umbreon was. Gurdurr was the only one that wasn't really satisfied with the flow of events that just happened.

"…Fine. Sorry."

"But Umbreon wasn't the only one I met then, either. He had a partner. Espeon. Umbreon and Espeon were investigating the Great Glacier together, you know?"

"A partner? Then where's that Espeon or whatever now? I have tons of questions, but…" I said.

"I guess the only one with the answers is this Umbreon guy right here," Silvy said while looking at Umbreon.

"I don't think you'll be getting any answers today, then. But I'll let you know as soon as Umbreon is up and moving," Swanna declared.

"Got it. Then I guess we'd better head back to Paradise, huh?" Silvy offered.

"Yeah. Let's go get some requests done from the board for now." Emolga said excitedly.

The next morning brought Timburr to come and tell us about Umbreon.

"Heeeeey! Umbreon's…Umbreon's up and movin' now!"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. Only problem is… …he says he's gotta get outta Post Town right away."

"What?!" Silvy exclaimed.

"'Course we told him not to push it, but he just ain't listenin' to a word anybody says. So the Signora told me to come and get you."

"Got it. I'll get everyone together," I said.

I had Silvy and Timburr go ahead of us as I went about looking for Emolga, Dunsparce and Virizion.

Back at the inn, we arrived to see Umbreon struggle to move.

"H-hey, fella! You shouldn't push yourself yet!" Gurdurr implored

"B-but…if I don't make it in time… Ugh!"

"Come on, listen to reason… It's just too soon to be moving around like that. Rest up a bit longer, OK?" Timburr said.

"Umbreon!" Virizion said worryingly.

"Virizion… Seems like I owe you for clearing up the misunderstanding about me… I've gotta thank you for that. And while I'd love to stay and chat… I've got a prior appointment…"

"Seems you have a reason ot be in such a rush…" Swanna commented.

"Ugh!" "But you're not getting anywhere in that condition."

"Umbreon… Why don't you explain what's going on? We might be able to help, you know?" Virizion suggested.

"… ... … …That's true enough. Fine… Let me start from the beginning."

"What?!" Dunsparce exclaimed.

"You ran all the way to Post Town…" began Emolga.

"…because you were being attacked by some strangers?!" Silvy finished.

"That's right… They attacked Espeon and me out of the blue… We both ran off in different directions. I was lucky enough to end up here, but… Espeon… She's probably still on the run from those monsters… I've gotta go… I have to find her!"

"So that's why… But…why did you think someone whould've attacked you?" I asked.

"My guess is they were probably after these."

Umbreon then took out a couple of cards and placed them in front of us. The cards bared a sun insignia with a different look of it on each card. The corners of it had two small arching red lines over gold corners. The card itself was outlined in gold with the interior of the card being a dull purple. There was something familiar about the ring that the sun was placed over.

"Are these…cards?" Silvy asked.

"Is this your first time seeing them? They're called Entercards. See, everyone knows that the land around here has unsusually high mysteriosity… But even the mysterious power in these kinds of areas does obey some rules. It follows certain paths. What we call ley lines. The flow of these ley lines affects and determines the mysteriosity in an area. Once we realized that, dungeon researchers like Espeon and I began to wonder… What if we could use the power of those ley lines for ourselves? That's wherer the Entercardds come in. As for what the Entercards actually do… Well—"

Umbreon was then surprised to see the entire room had fallen asleep from Umbreon's sermon about the ley lines. It wasn't like it was an easy to understand explanation, but even so, I still found it fascinating enough to pay attention and absorb everything eagerly. I was just as surprised to see everyone had fallen asleep.

"Hey! Why're you all asleep?!"

"Huh? Were we sleeping?" Gurdurr asked.

"I guess so… It was like some awesomely powerful spell was cast over—like being hypnotized…" Emolga said, ashamed.

"I for one had a lovely dream! Now I feel all refreshed," Swanna said happily.

"Sorry… I guess my explanation was a little on the technical side… Seeing it for yourself is probably the easiest way to understand it. Let's go outside."

Umbreon tried to lead everyone outside to perform a demonstration, but he stumbled because he still hadn't recovered.

"A-are you OK?" Dunsparce asked, concerned.

"Go on, you two. Help him out," Gurdurr ordered.

""Yes, Boss!""

The two Timburr began to take hold of Umbreon and guided him to where Umbreon wanted to perform his demonstration.

"Come on, we've got you. You up to walkin, Umbreon?"

"Yeah… Sorry about this."

We arrived at the highest plateau, the one that had the small pond. Pokémon from all of Post Town gathered before Umbreon to watch as he demonstrated with his cards. There were still some Pokémon coming to join the gathering.

"Woah! What's going on up here?" Patrat asked.

"I dinnae ken meself…but it seems this stranger is aboot tae show us a real treat. Don't ye get in the way, lad." Herdier answered.

"Wow! I wonder what it will be! This is kind of exciting!"

"Alright. This ought to do it. Everybody? If you could step back a bit…"

Everyone did as Umbreon said.

"Here we go."

Umbreon placed his two cards diagonally from each other in a small container he had set-up. This small container itself looked like it had machine origins as it was metal coated in purple paint. Once the cards were placed, the air itself began to be sucked in towards the box. Just then, a bright flash of light lit up and blinded us.

"Whoa! The light's-!"

When the light rescinded, the light was then focused into a vortex enveloping the cards until the color of the vortex became red and symbols lined the rings that appeared. The inside of the vortex became a mixture of red, orange, yellow and white swirling around mixing together.

"Th-that'-?!"

"What is that thing?!" Dunsparce asked, surprised.

"It's a Magnagate. It's an entrance…to a dungeon."

"An entrance to a dungeon?!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah. Though this one isn't complete. We start by crafting Entercards for the ley lines we want to read. Then, using different combinations of those cards and varying their placement, we can change the flow of the ley lines and force them into new patterns, you see. Then, boom, you've got the entrance to a dungeon. The entrance to the dungeon that you see before you now, it's a particularly special one. Chances are, no one else in the world has ever used it. It's a path that Espeon and I finally found after compiling all our years of research. We're using the power of the sun and the moon to manipulate some serious ley lines. But…these two cards here aren't enough to summon up a real Magnagate. I'd need the other two cards if I wanted to summon a useable Magnagate."

After a while, the Magnagate began to close by itself. It was hard to tell if the gate closed because of its lack of use or because it was incomplete.

"I see… I think I get it now. And the other cards you need…are with Espeon, are they?" Virizion said.

"Yeah. My Entercards and Espeon's, by combining both sets it seemed we were finally going to be able to complete our research. But we were attacked right after we finished making these cards. That's why I've got to assume that the enemy's after our Entercards."

"When you consider the fact that no one has attacked you since you've been here… It seems they might be trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves,"Swanna observed.

"I dunno about that, Swanna. They could just want you to think that. Then they strike! Outta the blue!" Gurrdurr declared.

"At any rate, we can all protect Umbreon together as long as he's here," Virizion said.

"Which just leaves Espeon," I commented.

"What? Y-you mean…" Umbreon said, surprised.

"There's no way we wouldn't save her after hearing all this!" Silvy said, proudly.

"We can't just sit back and relax when someone's in trouble…" Emolga added.

"We're the Starlight, after all!" Dunsparce yelled.

"Leave it up to us. We'll definitely bring Espeopn back safe," I said with a smile.

"Th-there aren't even words… I promise I'll pay you back for this somehow. I think Espeon ran off in the direction of Crags of Lament. I know I saw some of our pursuers heading that way. I'm sorry, but I'm counting on you for this one. You've gotta save Espeon from them!"

"We will. You can believe that," Virizion said reassuringly.

"Shin! You can decided who's gonna go, right?" Emolga asked.

"When everything's ready, let's set out at once!" Dunsparce declared.

"We're going to the Crags of Lament…and saving Espeon!" Silvy said resolutely.

The Crags of Lament was place high above the grounds. It did not have crags in its name for nothing. Our path of travel was high in the sky and one wrong step would send us plummeting to our doom. Patches of weeds and moss grew here and there and sometimes a lone tree could be seen over the edge growing on a pillar.

"It sure is cold here," Emolga complained.

"That's because we can feel the clouds on our bodies. The higher we are above ground, the colder it gets," I explained.

"How far in here do you think Espeon is?" Silvy asked.

"She must have gone as far back as possible. She is being chased, after all. We must hurry before she has nowhere left to run," Verizion implored.

We hurried on as fast and safe as possible. I had Emolga fly ahead and make sure the path did not have a dead end so as to not waste any time. Whenever Emolga returned, he would bring news of wild Pokémon, the path that led higher into the sky, or dead ends. When we were forced to face off against the indeginous Pokémon, we made sure to spread out so as not to get in each other's way. There was very little room to use moves against the enemy so we couldn't afford to have prolonged battles.

Some of the wild Pokémon that were native to the Crags of Lament were familiar to us. Venipede could be seen at times as well Swinub. New faces that we met were Swoobat, the Courting Pokémon, and Whimsicott, the Windveiled Pokémon. Whimsicott had a small imp like body with amber eyes. It had a big cotton puff tail that was bigger than its body and covered its head and neck. On the side of its head were green horns that seemed to be growing out of the cotton puff. Swoobat, as the name indicated, was a bat Pokémon colored in a navy blue body and head and a blue-gray fur that covered part of its body and neck. It had fangs protruding out of its lower jaw that almost touched its heart shaped nose. Its nose and crescent moon tipped tail were both colored a rosy pink.

Farther ahead of Silvy and Shin's group was Espeon, the Sun Pokémon, exhausted from constantly running from her pursuers. Espeon had a mauve coat with a two pronged tail. The inside of her ears were a midnight blue color, a contrast to her coat, eyes and the feelers beneath her ears. The small ruby jewel on her forehead glittered in the light as she ran.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah…"

She was running as fast as she could, believing her pursuers were some distance away. She peered around and risked the chance to stop and rest.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah…"

Her short break gave her pursuers the chance to catch up.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can't escape us—no matter how quick you scamperr!"

Espeon looked around all over, but could not find the source of the voice mocking her efforts.

"Wh-where—Where are you?!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Wouldn't you like to know! Why don't you come find us?"

Puzzled as to how the second voice was mocking her, she responded,

"Um… I'm the one running from you here. Why would I come after you? I'm trying to get away! And you'll never catch me! Not fools like you! Besides, I know what you're after! And I will never hand them over to you!"

She declared her defiance to her pursuers and quickly returned to running farther in the Crags of Lament. The voices only laughed at her futility.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha! What a troublesome girrrl!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! But she's looking pretty tired, ain't she? It's only a matter of time before we nab her! Croak!"

"We'd better finish this up, though… Or we'll be the ones getting rrrun ragged next!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! I know! Croak! Playtime's over, then! And so is Espeon's freedom! Croak!"

"Wha-waaa!"

That was all I could muster as Swoobat's Gust pushed me over the edge of the cliff.

""Shin!""

Everyone could only cry out my name in vain, but Silvy quickly gathered her wits and flung a Vine Whip at my foot. When it caught me, she was struggling with holding my weight and preventing me from falling.

"Emolga! Finish off Swoobat!"

"I got it!"

Emolga took to the sky and closed in on Swoobat. Swoobat himself saw Emolga coming and got away from him. Without missing a beat, Emolga released his Shockwave, an Electric type move that never missed. Despite Swoobat flying away from the tendrils of electricity, Shockwave eventually connected and elotrocuted Swoobat into submission.

Meanwhile, Silvy and Virizion were trying their best not to let me fall.

"I'm starting to get dizzy from hanging here!" I yelled.

"Just hang on, Shin!" Silvy cried.

When Emolga was done with Swoobat, he swooped over the cliff and grabbed my arms In order to help pull me up. Eventually, through efforts, I was pulled up, breathing heavily on the floor.

"Hah…hah… Talk about a cliff hanger."

"Funny, Shin," Sivly said wryly.

"When you're rested, we should hurry on. We still haven't found Espeon," Virizion said.

When I had properly rested, I got back on my feet and we all hurried on to find Espeon.

Just like other previous dungeon areas, this place also had a rest area. This wasn't as confined as the previous rest areas, but it still proved to be a good respite.

"We've come pretty far in, but we still haven't seen any sign of Espeon, huh? Maybe she's still somewhere up ahead. Let's hurry ahead, Shin!" Silvy said.

We quickly took an Oran Berry to recover our strength and continued our pursuit.

"Hah…hah…hah…hah…"

Espeon had continuously run from her pursuers for some time. She had avoided the desire to stop and rest because her pursuers were still hiding, never knowing when they may appear. She had run as far as she could until she could no longer proceed further anymore. Espeon had reached the end of Crags of Lament as there was only a cliff in front of her. There were no avenues left to continue.

"Hah…hah…hah…hah…"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The wicked laugh was alarmingly close, so Espeon turned around in order to gauge the distance. When she did, one of her pursuers was standing right behind her. It was a very large and fat cat. This cat had a two whiskers on each cheek and a purple tip on each ear. Her eyes looked like as if they were wearing violet eye shadow as her eyelids drooped to narrow her gaze. Her coat was a mixture of cobalt and white spots. A large white spot on her torso made her look as if she was wearing a shirt while the white fluff around her waist made it look as if she was wearing a skirt.

"All this rrruning and dodging is rrreally wearing me out! But…it looks like we've got you perrrfectly cornered now!"

"Ugh…"

Knowing that she was indeed cornered, Espeon could only back away in frustration.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Hey, Purugly! At least you got the easy part! I'm the one who had to run ahead and cut her off, croak!

From behind Espeon another Pokémon appeared. This one jumped from somewhere below and surrounded Espeon. The Pokémon was indigo in color with black stripes on its arms and legs. Its legs looked strong and large, indicating its prowess in jumping ability. Its neck sac swelled and displayed a violet color, just like the barbs on both its hands. The horn on its head was not colored violet but was the same as its body.

"I'm suuuuuuper tired, croak!"

The Pokémon then walked to join Purugly and then continued to face Espeon. Espeon herself backed away to have distance between the two of them.

"Oh dear, Toxicrrroak. Perrrhaps a sign you need more exercise, hmm?"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! You're one to talk! I saw you huffing and puffing back there!"

Even with their mocking banter, they still walked closer to Espeon. Alarmed, she tried to increase the distance again, but with a cliff behind her, there wasn't much space left to use.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Now hand 'em over! Give us everything you've got!"

They had threatened her to the brink of the edge. Espeon was finally trapped without a prayer of chance to escape.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! Like she's gonna listen to you! It'll be fastest to just take them by forrrce!"

"Ah-!"

With nowhere left to run, Espeon could only submit to Purugly frisking her. Purugly searched and searched but could not find what it was she was looking for.

"Nyaaaaaaah!"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Th-this girrrl doesn't-! She doesn't have anything on herrr!"

"WHAAAAAAT?! Hey! Where'd you stash 'em?! Where're the Entercards?!"

"… … …"

"If you don't tell us, we'll have to forrrce it out of you! I hope you're prrrepared, Espeon!"

"-!"

"STOP! NOW!"

The sudden voice that screamed at them to desist startled Purugly and Toxicroak. They turned around to see Shin and Silvy running up to them.

"Look! There's Espeon!" Emolga cried.

"Hurry! We must go help her!" Virizion said.

We all started running faster to save Espeon. Virizion looked the most worried as a pained expression was on her face as we ran to Espeon.

When we had caught up, we could see that two Pokémon, Purugly, the Tiger Cat Pokémon, and Toxicroak the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Worried, Silvy cried out in hopes of stopping them for a moment.

"STOP! NOW!"

They both turned around, startled, of our presence.

"That must be Espeon over there!" I said.

"Hah…hah… A-alright… We made it…"

"Espeon, please get away from there!" Virizion warned.

"Virizion!"

Taking Virizion's advice, she went behind the rock and took shelter as we confronted Purugly and Toxicroak.

"Nya? What's this? Who are you strrrangers?"

"We're the Starlight! And we're here to save Espeon!" Emolga said.

"What are these fools talking about? I don't get it, croak."

"Grrrrr, you-! You're so irrrrrtating! I just want to get this job over with!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Guess we just have to take care of them then! Let's get this over with quick!"

"You're rrrright... Looks like that's ourrr only choice!"

"Here they come, everyone!" Silvy warned.

Everyone got in a ready position against Purugly and Toxicroak. We could tell that we'd have to be careful around the two of them.

"I don't know who you fools are, but you picked the wrong party to crash! Let's go! Croa-ka-ka-ka-ka!"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Virizion made the first move by unleashing her Magical Leaf. Her anger had got the better of her and made her move faster than the rest of us. When Toxicroak saw the move coming towards Purugly, he jumped in front of her and blocked it. Poison types had the inherit properties that were superior against Grass types. Emolga soared above Toxicroak and unleased a Shockwave at him but Toxicroak made no attempt to avoid Emolga's attack.

Purugly herself was going around Toxicroak in order to meet Virizion and Silvy. Purugly unleased a deep Growl in order to push back Virizion and Silvy. Even though Silvy could not move forward because of Purugly's Growl, she still managed to unleash a Leaf Tornado at her. The leaves enveloped her and caused her own move to hurt as well suffer damage from Leaf Tornado. Virizion ran towards Purugly to close the distance and let loose a devastating Double Kick, a Fighting type move. Purugly was a Normal type that was weak to Fighting types and moves and after suffering from the two kicks, she was tossed back towards the cliff.

Sensing his partner was in danger, Toxicroak evaded Emolga's continuous shockwave and struck me with Revenge. The move Revenge, a Fighting type move, used the damage the user suffered and converted it into devastating strength. After suffering two moves from both Virizion and Emolga, Toxicroak took that pain and struck me with an uppercut to the solar plexus.

"Gaah!"

The uppercut knocked the wind out of me as I was sent soaring. Emolga tried to catch me but was also knocked down along with me. Using this brief lull of attacks, Toxicroak went to Purugly's side and shot a Poison Sting from his mouth. Numerous indigo needles laced with power and poison were shot at Silvy and Virizion. Since they both were Grass types, they evaded quickly and regrouped with Emolga and I.

"They're strong…" Emolga said, in pain.

"They're certainly no pushovers. We need to keep them separated our else it'll be more difficult for us." I said, trying to catch my breath.

"What can we do? There isn't much room to move around and one wrong step will send us plummeting down…" Silvy said, worried.

"I suggest we continue attacking. We can't let them have any room to breathe," Virizion said, blinded by her anger and concern.

What can we do? Silvy's right, we have very little room to use. As long as they are together, they can defend and counterattack effectively….

"Emolga, separate them using Shockwave and Virizon too, use Magical Leaf. When they dodge, Silvy, use that opening to grab Purugly with your Vine Whip and toss it to the other side. Meanwhile, me and Emolga will handle Toxicroak. We can't let them be together so we have to have them as far away from each other as possible. Virizion, help Silvy out. Virizion?"

I laid out my plan for everyone to listen. Everyone was listening intently to my directions, everyone but Virizion. She still had the same mixture of anger and concern on her face. Her gaze was resting on the rock that Espeon was hiding behind, clearly showing her concern.

"Virzion! Virizion!"

Even being called out did not seem to make Virizion snap out of her blind state. The only method left to snap her out of it was to strike her.

"Virizon!"

I jumped and struck her face in order for her to come to her senses. Her surprise was evidently showing as well on everyone else's face.

"I know you're worried about Espeon. But you have to stay focused! The sooner we defeat these two, the sooner we can rescue her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I-I'm terribly sorry. I got too caught up in worrying about Espeon…"

"Come on, Virizion. You don't have to be worried alone. We're right here too!" Silvy said encouragingly.

"I don't really care if you're angry or not. But I do care that you're weighing us down. Get it together, Virizion!" Emolga said.

Virizion could only stare down at the ground bashfully. Her being overly emotional really wasn't like her.

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry for weighing you all down. I'm ready to help now!" Virizion declared.

"Nyaaaah! Did you forget about us?! I hate being left out!"

"Croak! I'm getting sick from all this mushy friendship stuff!"

Annoyed that they were being ignored, Purugly and Toxicroak began to mock us. They were trying to provoke us. But looking at their state, it was evident that they, too were getting tired. Their taunting was just to get us to move first and make a mistake.

"We'll show what us friends can do," Silvy said confidently.

On my signal, Emolga and Virizion performed their respective moves. As expected, Toxicroak and Purugly easily dodged the straightforward attacks. This was Silvy's queue to move.

"Nyaaah!?"

Not expecting to be grabbed by Silvy, Purugly began to flail about as she we was swung and slammed a good distance away from Toxicroak. When he tried to jump to aide his partner, I moved to intercept.

"I won't let you interfere!"

Toxicroak fell straight back to the ground as he became paralyzed from my Thunder Wave. Seizing his chance, Emolga moved in and performed his Acrobatics. Acrobatics was a powerful Flying type move that made Emolga move at fast speeds while dealing damage every time he made contact, but not giving the enemy a chance to defend or retaliate.

"Grrr….croaaaah!"

Emolga was definitely dealing damage and without his partner to help, he could only struggle in vain. Once Emolga was done attacking, I made my move and used Electro Ball.

"Take this!"

I hurled my Electro Ball right at Toxicroak.

"Crrrroooaaaaaagaaah!"

Toxicroak's wail of pain signified his defeat as he lay there, smoldering in unconscious.

As for Silvy and Virizion, they were busy dodging Purugly's aggressive Fury Swipes and Faint Attacks. Whenever Silvy or Virizion would deal damage, Purugly would turn that damage into an opportunity by drawing them in close with a Faint Attack. Virizion would always check to see if she was really defeated, and then she would take the damage from Purugly's Faint Attack. It wasn't clear if Purugly knew of Virizon's Justified ability or not, but she had given up on using it as Virizion and Silvy opted to use only ranged attacks.

"Let's attack together, Virizon!"

"I'm right behind you!"

They both used their leaf based moves and struck Purugly.

"Nyaaah!"

Being struck with two attacks at the same time seemed to have thrown her off balance as she lay there seemingly defeated. Virizion, on the other hand, was not convinced.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me a thrice, and you'll get hurt." Virizion said in a cool manner.

She drew close to Purugly. The glint in her eye indicated she was ready to attack the moment Virizion was close enough. When Virizion did, Purugly sprung and struck out at her. Virizion herself intercepted with Double Kick. One kick took and blocked Purugly's attack. The second one dealt a critical blow and knocked her out, finishing our battle.

When we dragged Purugly and Toxicroak together, they began to stir from unconsciousness. They slowly staggered themselves on to their feet with pained expressions.

"Croa-ka-ka…ka…"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha…ha?"

"Th… They're… AHHHHH!"

"Scrrram!"

With a look of terror in on their faces, they ran away with their tails between their legs. We then turned our attention to Espeon, who slowly came out into view.

"Hey, you OK? Did they get you? We're here to help you! Umbreon told us everything!" Silvy said.

"I see… Umbreon, he…"

Espeon weakly walked closer in order to thank us for rescuing her.

"Thank you…for saving me. I've probably seen better days…but I'll be fine."

Somehow, she summoned the strength in order to stand taller. She wanted to appear and sound as if she was genuinely fine.

"No… I AM fine. Pokémon like that can't get the better of me!"

"You haven't changed at all, Espeon. Heheh." Verizion laughed.

"Ah, Virizion. I'm so glad to see you again," Espeon said as she returned the smile.

"You've got some guts at least, that's for sure. I'm glad to hear it," I commented.

"More imporatantly, though… I must hurry to Post Town… There's something I have to be sure of…"

"Got it. Let's go then. Umbreon's waiting for us, too!" Silvy said enthusiastically.

"Espeon!"

"Umbreon! *Sniffle*…"

"I'm so glad…you're alright. I-I didn't…"

"No, I was more worried about you… But… As much as I just want to enjoy this moment with you… There's something I have to…"

"I know, Espeon. But we've got to at least thank Shin and the others properly first."

"Of course…"

Good thing they realized the atmosphere around them. I was started to feel like I was intruding by watching their heartfelt reunion.

"Shin… Silvy… Everyone… I owe you all so much. You saved us. Neither of us would be here without you."

"No problem! We're just glad you're both OK. But…the Pokémon who attacked you two, who could they be?" Silvy wondered.

"Who knows? I've got no idea who they are, but…"

"Umbreon… They really were after the Entercards."

"So they were… That was my guess. I really don't know who the Pokémon that attacked us were… But if they were after the Entercards, then their goal seems obvious enough. Either they must want to get in the way of our research… Or they planned to steal the Entercards because they want to go to the Great Glacier themselves."

Everyone gasped lightly when the heard Umbreon speak of the Great Glacier.

"Wha…" I started.

""WHAAAT?!""

"Hey! Wait up! You know you just said something amazing like it was nothing, right?!" Emolga exclaimed.

"…Huh? Did I really? I just said they might be after the Entercards to get to the Great Glacier…"

"Th-the Great Glacier?!" Dunsparce gasped.

"You say you can actually GO to the Great Glacier?!" Patrate exclaimed.

"That mighty distant glacier that nae Pokémon has e'er reached? Ye say… Ye say ye can go there?" Heredier asked.

"Ahhh… Right. I guess I hadn't mentioned any of this yet, had I? The two of us…have dedicated our careers to studying the Great Glacier."

"Deep within the Great Glacier… That's where it must be… The Great Crystal that causes all matter surrounding it to float in the air. That is what Umbreon believes."

The Great Crystal that makes matter…float? Is such a thing possible?

"There's no way to prove it exist exept by going into the Great Glacier itself. But in front of the Great Glacier is a huge crevasse that prevents anyone from ever reaching it. That's why we thought of using the ley lines. We want to use them to create a dungeon that would lead beyond the crevasse. That dungeon could get us right up to the base of the Great Glacier! If we can just make Entercards that will create such a dungeon, we should be able to reach the Great glacier. At least we think so."

"That's…amazing! Then that means that with both of your sets of Entercards together, you could actually reach the Great Glacier?!" Silvy said excitedly.

"Pretty much. Though we still need to make a few more adjustments. But…it might be too late for that now… Espeon… From the looks of things, you don't have your Entercards anymore…do you? Did those crooks steal them from you? It's fine. It doesn't matter if they did. I don't even care about losing the Entercards… If you… As long as you are safe and here with me again…then I…"

"Honestly, Umbreon! Could you not leap to your own conclusions without giving me a chance to explain?!"

Espeon managed to stop Umbreon before he guided the mood between them into a direction not suited for public viewing.

"The Entercards weren't stolen."

"Wha…"

"But instead… Well…I almost would have preferred it if they had been…"

Something about Espeon's look indicated guilt. She had this sad look in her eye that showed that she was bearing a huge weight. A weight caused by her regrets.

"The truth is that I…I've done something I truly regret, Umbreon."

Before Espeon could elaborate, Swadloon had interrupted the conversation. His mother, Leavanny, was with him as well.

"Oh! You're here! Are you alright? You didn't get hurt? Please tell me you're OK!"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm just fine," Swadloon answered calmly, "and these are…"

Swadloon then handed Espeon her Entercards.

"A-are those…the Entercards?!" Dunsparce asked, surprised.

"But why'd Swadloon have them?" Emolga wondered.

"I kept my promise, ma'am! I didn't tell nobody. Not anybody!" Swadloon said happily.

"Yes… I see that. Thank you, little one! You must have been so scared…" Espeon said, on the brink of tears.

"Naw, I wouldn't get scare over that! I'm really strong!"

"I'm…so glad… Please…forgive me! Waaaaaaaah!" Espeon whispered before finally succumbing to her desire to pour out her guilt in tears.

"I-I-I'm really OK, ma'am. Honest! Oh, please don't cry!"

"…What in the world is going on?" Gurdurr asked, confused.

"I really can't imagine…" Patrat answered.

"Miss Espeon, it's nice to meet you. I am this boy's mother," greeted Leavanny.

"Oh! I…I'm so sorry! What I did was unforgivable! Because of my actions, your son… This sweet child was put in danger."

"In danger? If you don't mind…could you please explain what happened to my son?"

"… …Of course… Ever since I lost sight of Umbreon, I've been on the run from our pursuers… I tried to make it into Post Town, but my enemies were always one step ahead… I've been close to Post Town for so long, but never made it to safety. I buried my precious belongings so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. But I couldn't stop worrying, so I went back to my hiding spot in Inflora Forest."

Espeon began to explain how it was she met Swadloon in the forest. She was running towards the spot where she buried her things, when she met Swadloon. Every moment, she felt like her enemies may have been only a few steps behind her. She was very surprised to see a young boy there. Swadloon had dug up her belongings that she had buried in the dirt, including the Entercards. Swadloon himself was startled and apologized for digging up her things. If he had known it had belonged to her, he would not have dug up the dirt.

Rattled by recent events, Espeon had to make a choice. If her pursuers found Swadloon, the Entercards would have been lost forever. More importantly, if she had been followed, they could have been attacked at any moment. She was desperate and could not come to an answer as to what to do. That was when she made her mistake. Espeon carefully instructed Swadloon to take and hide the Entercards in exchange for the ruby that he wanted. By having her ruby, he made Swadloon promise to safeguard them until she returned for them. He was not allowed to tell anyone about the cards. It was only a secret between the two of them. Swadloon happily promised and took the ruby and Entercards.

Espeon then was startled by the rustling of the forest behind her. She thought that someone was coming after her, so she quickly left Swadloon and returned to running.

"But aftwards, I realized what I'd done… My folly… Despite any promises, our secret might not remain a secret for long. By placing the Entercards in this child's care… If the Pokémon pursuing us somehow learned that he had the cards…"

Everyone listening then realized what Espeon was getting at.

"It's…it's certainly true that…our wee Swadloon would've been the one tae pay…"

"As soon as I realized that, I hurried back to Inflora Forest at once… But…I was too late… Swadloon was gone…"

"We must have just passed one another. You probably headed back into the forest right after we had gone to rescue Swadloon," I commented.

"I may have been desperate, but… Thinking about the danger I put that innocent boy in, I… But I was on the run every moment after that, I never had a chance to look for him… And the whole time I was running, I was positively sick with worry… Thank goodness… Oh, thank goodness nothing happened."

Espeon again began to cry. This time, her tears were from relief, not from sorrow. Swadloon and Leavanny both came closer to comfort her.

"Please don't cry, Miss Espeon."

"Listen to my mom, ma'am! Please don't cry!"

"You were so afraid, and you acted on that fear. You felt you had no other choice. Yet even while you were being hunted, you kept my son in your heart… Thank you. And most importantly, my Swadloon kept his promise to you. That makes me proud. He is surely stronger for having shared this secret with you and being true to his word. As a mother…I am grateful to you for that gift, Miss Espeon."

"Waaaaaaaah!"

"That's great, huh, Espeon?" Umbreon consoled.

"Espeon…" Silvy muttered.

"Yes, everything has worked out. That's one mystery solved, at least. But, Umbreon, what are the two of you planning to do now?" Swanna asked.

"Yeah, about that… If it's not too much trouble, would it be alright if we stayed here a bit longer? There's a good chance we'll be targeted again as soon as we leave Post Town. And neither of us is in the best shape right now…"

"Then I s'pose that's probably for the best," Gurdurr agreed.

"Of course you can stay. We aren't expecting any other guests, so keep your rooms as long as you need them," Swanna offered.

"Th-thanks, Swanna. We'll definitely take you up on that. Everyone should get used to seeing us as a regular fixture in the inn for a while!"

"You'll still have to pay your bills, of course."

"I-I knew that."

That night, Silvy and I were up talking about what happened today.

"Today was definitely…eventful. But at least Espeon wasn't hurt, right? When we first met Espeon, I thought she was really tough. But she also takes things seriously and tries really hard. And I never thought she'd just burst into tears like that! Umbreon's really single-minded too. I like him. I really like both of them."

"It's true. It's obvious to even us how serious Espeon and Umbreon are about their research… And what about the Entercards they study? And the Magnagate created by those cards…"

At that moment, when that circle of light flooded the hill… The sight of that Magnagate appearing from the middle of that blinding light… That's something I'll never forget. And Umbreon even said that was the incomplete version. What will it be like once it's completed? I kinda want to see that…

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, Shin? I've been thinking… I'd really like to help Espeon and Umbreon with their research. What do you think? It wouldn't be a bad idea for the Starlight to help out, would it?"

"That sounds like a great idea. I wanted to ask you just that," I said happily.

"Yeah! I'm glad that it's not just me. Thanks , Shin. So we'll go talk to Umbreon about it tomorrow, OK? I guess we ought to call it a night. Tomorrow then. Night, Shin."

Again, Silvy asked to join our beds together and I only naturally agreed to it. It wasn't really a bother and the nights were only going to grow colder.

"Shin? Still awake?"

"Hm?"

"You know, when I saw how distressed and relieved Umbreon was about Espeon, it made me feel a little jealous. Would you be that worried about me if I was in danger?"

"Yeah, of course I'd be! I wouldn't stand around and do nothing. I'd go out and rescue you."

"Shin…"

She huddled closer to me as a result of my answer.

"Thank you, Shin. Promise you'll save me whenever I need it."

"I promise. But you got to promise you'll help me if that should ever happen."

"Of course! I promise."

Even though it was a cool night, the both of us were feeling quite hot as we slowly drifted to sleep together.


	8. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Morning came and we headed out towards Paradise Center unlike any other day. Thinking about last night made me think that we really should help Espeon and Umbreon in their endeavor to reach Great Glacier, like Silvy said. I was about to suggest it, but Silvy beat me to the request.

"Shin? I know we talked about it last night, but… Let's go talk to Umbreon and Espeon first thing this morning. I want to tell them we're here to help however we can."

"I was just about to ask the same thing. This is the perfect opportunity to get to the Great Glacier and I really want to help their research."

"Great! I'm glad we're thinking the same thing. I think they should still be at Swanna's place."

"Right, let's go Silvy!"

We went upstairs into the bed area of the inn where Espeon and Umbreon were supposed to be. When we entered, no one was there.

"They're not here…"

"Did they leave already?"

"Swanna should know where they went."

I suggested we go downstairs to ask Swanna where they went. They couldn't have gone far, after all. Swanna herself was standing behind her counter serving up plates of apples that her guests were ordering. As usual she was busy tending to her customers.

"What? Umbreon and Espeon? They've gone up to the hill, I believe. I thought it was a fine idea. Sure, they are not completely well, but they could use a little fresh air."

After consulting with Swanna I walked back to Silvy waiting by the entrance.

"What did Swanna say?"

"She said they went up to the hill for a breath of fresh air. I'm thinking they are at the top by the small pond.

"Okay, let's go!"

We hurried to catch up to Umbreon and Espeon. Even though they weren't going to go anywhere, somehow our excitement made us move faster than needed.

"Ah! There they are! Umbreon and Espeon!"

"Oh. Virizion is here to"

"Is it OK to be up and moving already?"

"I was a bit worried myself, but they seem to be doing just fine," Virizion assured us.

"Of course we are. We're feeling loads better thanks to you all," Umbreon said.

"But we can't just lie around. We'll lose all our momentum. After all, we are so close to completing our research," Espeon said excitedly.

"Really? Well, that's good to hear! In fact…it's your research we came to talk about today…"

"Silvy and I were talking it over last night. And we, well, we both want to help you two out with your work."

"Wha…"

"What do you think? Could we be of any help?" Silvy asked.

Both Umbreon and Espeon turned to look at each other as they thought about it for a moment.

"Ah… If you think we'd just be in the way, you can say so!" I said.

"Oh. Uh, no. It's not that. I wasn't thinking anything like that… I'm thrilled, in fact, with your offer to help," Umbreon said.

"So then…what is it?" Silvy asked.

"The truth is that we also had a bit of a talk last night. And…well, we want to ask you something..."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Yeah, about that… What would you think about…letting us join you? Join the Starlight, that is," Umbreon declared.

"Really? You want to join our team?" Silvy said, shocked.

"We do. Of course wanting to repay you for all you've done is part of it… But that's not the only reason. We're hoping you might lend us your strength—to achieve our own dream."

"If we do manage to complete the Entercards and we successfully summon the Magnagate, Shin and Silvy, we…we want you to go to the Great Glacier with us."

""WHAAAAAT?!""

"The Starlight are—"

"—going with Umbreon and Espeon—"

"—through a Magnagate and—to the Great Glacier, you say?!"

"Mmm-hmmmmmm!"

Emolga, Dunsparce, Gurdurr, and Quagsire all came out of their hiding spots in order to add to the amazement from Umbreon's announcement. After that, many Pokémon came out of hiding and gathered around us.

"Were you all eavesdropping? Seriously, you guys?" I said with a sigh.

Everyone could only avert their eyes in embarrassment as they eagerly waited for Umbreon to continue.

"We've nearly completed our research now. So the two of us can handle that just fine," Umbreon assured us.

"But the Great Glacier is still a complete unknown, after all. We have no idea what might happen there. If the two of us went alone, I don't know that we would make it back… But if we were with the Starlight, then we should be able to focus on our study of the glacier without any worries. I know this may be a great inconvenience to you all. You must be busy pursuing your own adventures…but…" Espeon began.

"No way! We'd love to have you join us!"

There she goes again…

"Shin, you think so, too, right?"

"Awesome! You're actually gonna go to the Great Glacier!" Rufflet cried.

"What great adventure might be waiting there? I get chills just thinking about it!" Patrat wondered.

"Seems like there'll be more business for me if you go!" Scraggy said.

"There's gotta be a ton of ice, right? With a name like "Great Glacier." I wanna try making a house outta that ice! Bring me back anything that looks like it could be good for building!" Gurdurr asked.

"Boss… I hate to be the one to bring everyone down, but… You know they haven't decided to go to the Great Glacier for sure yet, right?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, that's true, huh? I mean, Shin hasn't even agreed or nothin'."

"Oh, you will agree, won't you? Shin?" Dunsparce asked, timidly.

"Shin, you can't possibly… You can't possibly be thinking of saying no?! Ah…haha…ha… Er, don't take it to heart, Umbreon, Espeon… You know how our strange ol' Shin… Always getting hung up on absolute nonsense! Hehehe…he… Just give me one second, would you?"

Emolga then pulled me aside and whispered a piece of his mind.

"Now you just listen to me for a sec, Shin. OK? The Great Glacier is like an adventurer's ultimate quest. It's a land that no one has ever set foot on. We could be the first Pokémon ever to go and find out that's there. If you're really an adventurer, you'll go! No matter how dangerous it is, you'll go! You can't ruin this chance for us. You got it?"

W-wait… I wasn't hesitating, worrying or anything! Everyone just kept jumping in their own assumptions… So I never even got the chance to say yes!

"So what are you gonna do, Shin? Do you want to let Umbreon and Espeon join our team?" Silvy asked.

Well there's only one answer to that, isn't there?

"Of course! It would be great to have them join our team! I also want to help their research and go to the Great Glacier."

"Shin! Alright! I guess that decides it then! Umbreon! Espeon!"

Everyone turned their gazes towards Silvy as she addressed Umbreon and Espeon.

"You are now officially…members of the Starlight!"

"Yay!"

"We'll be on the same team from now on, huh? Do your best! Umbreon! Espeon!"

"It's kinda exciting to get new team members, huh? Welcome aboard, you two!"

"Th-thank you all! I'm so relieved you'll have us!" Espeon said happily.

"Thanks, everyone! Really! But…while I feel a bit bad saying it right after you've let us join your team… Like I said before…we're so close to being done with all our research so for now…" Umbreon said with a sad look.

"We know. We feel the same way, after all. Right now we all just want you to focus on your research! It's fine if you don't join the party for any requests right now," I replied.

"Thanks."

"If we complete our research and perfect the Entercards, we'll be sure to let you know at once."

"Please let all of us know, too, hmm? I want to see, mmm, what these Entercards can do."

"Yeah! No way I'm missing that!" Scraggy yelled.

"Of course," Espeon happily assured everyone.

"Alright! Then the rest of us should just focus on doing jobs from the board for now! That'll give Umbreon and Espeon time to get their research done. And when they do complete the Entercards, we're all going together! To the Great Glacier!" Silvy declared.

""YEAAAAAAHHH!""

Everyone gave out a mighty roar into the heavens as they yelled out their excitement and joy over new team members and the chance to explore the Great Glacier. Things were really looking up for us.

"I'll stay behind. I still want to talk with Umbreon and Espeon, if you don't mind," Virizion said.

"No problem. We'll be seeing you later then," I said.

Everyone had already slowly begun to disperse. Some wanted to stay and gossip about the Great Glacier. Others went back to their own business. Silvy and I were already heading back to Paradise Center in order to review the Request Board.

When we got there, I told Silvy I had other plans and wasn't going to join in on requests today.

"Why? Are you not feeling well?" she asked, clearly concerned.

"No, I'm fine, really. I just want to stay behind and work on improving the Paradise. It's been a while since we've added facilities and expanded it. I thought I'd stay behind and oversee it. Someone has to, right?"

"Yeah, you are right… But why do you get to stay here by yourself? Why can't we both work on Paradise together?"

"Oh, you want to join me? I'd be happy to have you join me!"

"Really?! I'm happy to hear that, but what about the day's requests?"

"Hmm… why not let Emolga and Dunsparce handle the Request Board today?"

"Somebody call our names?"

Emolga and Dunsparce were walking back together from Post Town when they heard their names mentioned. I took this chance to explain our situation.

"Oh, you want me to lead the group today? No worries! I was born to be a leader, so consider any request taken today to be as good as done!" Emolga said with his chin held high.

"Don't worry. I'll be there to make sure he doesn't get into trouble," Dunsparce chuckled.

"Hey! Dunsparce! That's not funny! You know I'm the best leader we have on the team! I just let Shin and Silvy take the lead because it's their Paradise."

"Right, I got it. I'll be counting on you, Emolga," I said.

"Please be sure to complete plenty of requests today. And don't forget to get plenty of rest after. You never know when Umbreon and Espeon will be done with their Entercards," Silvy cautioned.

"Alright. We'll see you later then!"

Emolga waved at us as he ran towards the Request Board. Dunsparce was trying to keep up with him. Even if Emolga was a bit of a show-off, he was a reliable Pokémon in the end. Team Starlight would still have a group taking on requests, so that left us free to work on Paradise.

"OK! Since Emolga and Dunsparce will be handling the requests today, shall we go about and work on improving our Paradise?"

"Yeah, let's go see what we can do then."

The sun was beginning to set as we sat down under a palm tree in the newly constructed Cool Creekside. This place gave the impression one was in a tropical island as there were waterfalls flowing down into the river. Palm trees were scattered here and there as well as vividly colorful flower bushes and small plants.

In total, Paradise was expanded to have five plots of land that were transformed into something entirely new. The plot we were resting at was Cool Creekside. The other plots were the Pleasant Plain and the Fertile Forest. From the materials we had earned from finishing requests, we were able to create two Fertile Forests, two Pleasant Plains, and one Cool Creekside. The Fertile Forest was as its name suggested. It was filled with luscious trees that climbed high into the sky. Tree stumps were littered here and there providing excellent places to hide and play in. The whole area was a mass of greenery in that plot of land.

As for the facilities, we added new fields that grow different kinds of berries and seeds. Some of the fields we added included a Cherri Field, Heal Field, Stun Field, and a Chesto Field. These fields would provide us with an abundant supply of berries and seeds that were essential for our adventure. The supply would limit the amount we would need to buy whenever we would grow short. The other facilities were shops and dojos. We added a few dojos, the Electric, Grass and Psychic dojos. The dojos allowed us to train our moves and gain experience in their usage. The shops we added involved a shop that buys and sells seeds and berries, an orb shop, a trade shop, a lottery stand and a stand that involved hunting for treasure under water.

Paradise was really expanding and becoming full of life and activity. Pokémon that willingly joined our team were going about their business in Paradise, trading, buying and playing with others. The Pokémon that joined our team after we proved ourselves through requests or battles helped out on requests, contributed to the expansion and operation of Paradise and trained new members of Starlight in requests and battles. The Pokémon that were operating the stands eagerly and happily served the customers that came to their shops. Even Pokémon from Post Town and wandering travelers stopped by in Paradise in order to view our progress, solicit the shops or just spend time relaxing. This Paradise that Silvy dreamed of was growing more and more with each passing day. I couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment as we both watched the setting sun.

Silvy was getting tired and laid her head against my shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"Hey, Shin?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think we'll find at the Great Glacier?"

"Who knows? With a name that has 'glacier' in it, it has to be cold. Maybe we'll find treasure that's frozen in the ice?"

"Buried treasure? That sure would be an exciting discovery. Do you think it'll be dangerous exploring it?"

"It is a Mystery Dungeon, so it's only natural that it would. Are you scared?"

"Maybe a little. I'm more excited than I am scared. I shouldn't have to feel scared though. Want to know why?"

"How come?"

"Because you'll be there with me. I feel like as long as I'm with you, I can do just about anything. I can face anything and not feel scared because I have someone that'll protect me."

"Hey, don't go throwing all the hard work on me now. I'll protect you, but you got to help me too!"

"Of course. I wouldn't go and let you have all the fun now. What would you do without me?"

"I should be asking you that."

""Hahaha.""

Our banter with each other was nothing different. It made one forget about all of their troubles they had. Being like this with her almost made me forget who I really was and where I really came from. I may yet start to believe I was more Pokémon than I am human.

Human, huh…? Feels so long ago….

"Why so quiet all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about how I feel almost more Pokémon than human. Feels like I was never human to begin with."

"Don't go so serious on me. It really ruins the mood," she pouted, "but I understand. You're a human but you look like a Pokémon. You came here to help that Pokémon you saw in your dream right? We'll find her, together. Everything will sort itself out somehow."

"Yeah….you're right. Thanks Silvy."

"You're welcome. Let's walk back home. It's already dark."

"Yeah, the stars are out. Aren't they wonderful?"

"Can you not see the stars where you live?"

"Well, not as clearly like this. You'd have to go a mountain our far away from civilization in order to stars this clearly. They really are beautiful aren't they?" 

"Yes, it's quite a sight. Even though I've always seen them, somehow they look far better than before."

"Maybe because you're not seeing them alone anymore?"

"Yes, maybe so…"

The both us continued to look at the stars for a little longer then we returned home, holding hands. My excuse to hold her hand was because it was dark and I didn't want her to fall down. She laughed but accepted the excuse.

While Silvy and Shin were asleep, a rendezvous was occurring atop the highest plateau in Post Town. Dunsparce was sitting at the edge of the plateau gazing out in the direction of the Great Glacier. Virizion walked up next to Dunsparce,

"Is this seat taken?"

"Wha-! V-V-Virizion! Eep!"

"Sorry for scaring you. Do you mind me being here? N-not..not a bit! Hah… Hah…"

While Dunsparce was blushing to himself, Virizion walked up next to him and laid down and watched out towards the distance, just like Dunsparce.

"So what's the matter? Hanging out up here all alone at this time of night…"

"… … … I…I wanted to try to remember the mirage we saw from here before… The mirage of the Great Glacier… So… I thought maybe if I came back here to the same spot, I'd remember it better."

"…You really want to go, don't you? To the Great Glacier."

"…Yeah, I really do. I want to become a first-rate adventurer. Then I want to go all around the world helping out Pokémon in need! I want to be able to give hope and courage to Pokémon who are suffering! That's my dream. Ah…I-I-I-I mean… S-sorry… D-does that…sound strange?"

"No. It's not strange at all. I won't laugh at you anymore. I promise. I'm sorry…about the way I acted that time. It was rude."

Virizion looked quite crestfallen as she remembered her conduct the first time Dunsparce confessed to her.

"O-oh… That's fine… Hoho…"

While Dunsparce enjoyed his private time with his beloved idol that he admired, another one quietly came up to the plateau, seemingly walking about.

"Man, I just can't get to sleep. This walk doesn't seem to be helping, either… Huh? Isn't that…Virizion?"

Emolga was taking a walk to clear his insomnia but after noticing Virizion, he started to make his way to her.

"Oh! And Dunsparce, too!"

He began running towards the two but after noticing the atmosphere, he quickly changed direction and hid behind the closest tree.

Whoa! But why am I hiding?! I don't know why, but my heart is kinda racing here! But really…I wonder what they're doing up here at this hour?

"And that's why I have a dream like that. But the gap between dreams and reality is huge… No matter what I do, it just always seems to go wrong… But since I joined the Starlight, and after meeting everybody, I feel like that's finally beginning to change. But that's not—I mean—I'm still bad at all kinds of things, of course! But… Well, it's not exactly confidence, but I feel like I can try harder these days without losing heart. And now that I started feeling like this, it turns out we're off to the Great Glacier… You know what, Virzion? When I first heard we were going, I thought, 'I definitely want to go there!' I really did. I feel like I'll be able to have all kinds of new experiences there. I feel like I'll be able to break out of my shell at last. And that's why…that's why I definitely want to go to the Great Glacier! There's no way I'll miss it!"

"I see. I think you're really growing a lot, Dunsparce. Maybe this is one of those times in life that you just keep absorbing new experiences. I hope you'll find something wonderful at the Great Glacier. I'll be cheering for you."

"R-really?!"

"Of course. Do your best!"

"I…I will! I really will! I'm gonna give it my all! It's gonna be like nothing you've ever seen! …Hoho…"

The encouragement that Dunsparce received from Virizion only gave him that much more incentive to try his best. Dunsparce was on cloud nine at that point.

Well, um… It'd be way too awkward to go out there now… But…I've been thinking Dunsparce seems a bit more cheerful lately. So that's it… I guess he's finally learning to believe in himself. Well, if that's what's goin' on here…then I've gotta cheer him on, too! We'll do our best and go to that Gereat Glacier together! Just you wait, Dunsparce!

Morning came and Quagsire was waiting for us outside as we prepared to go see Umbreon and Espeon.

"Huh? Quagsire?"

"What is it?"

"Ah… Ah… Ahh!"

"Uh… Did something happen?" I asked.

"Th-the truth is… I, hmm, just realized something dire! You remembered how everyone was all, 'We're all going to the Great Glacier!' Hmm? And then everyone yelled, 'YEAAAAAAHHH!' Hmmm? Everyone was, hmm, all pumped up. B-but I didn't think about it then, hmm? And I've just realized that I forgot something important! Mmm-hmm! I've got to talk to you all at once, hmm!"

"I…don't really get it, but…alright. I'll get everyone together."

Silvy and I then hurried and gathered everyone to Paradise Center. Once gathered, Quaqsire made his grave announcement.

"What? Someone has to stay behind?!" I cried, astonished.

"Mm-hmm… I think it'll be, mmm, a long journey to the Great Glacier and you probably won't be able to return for several days, hmm? The fact is, there are these things called, mmm, the HAPPI Laws. And according to them, whenever you go on a long journey, you must leave, hmm, at least one member behind. It's a serious rule, hmm? No way around it."

"Wh-what?! But that means-!" Silvy said, scared to finish the sentence.

"It's, hmm, problematic for HAPPI if they cannot reach your team for a long time. Apparently there was some sort of, mm, disagreement because of it in the past and so this law was put in place. That's what I've heard, hmm. If you do not follow the HAPPI Laws, your Team Badges will be revoked...and your team disbanded, hmm? They are, mm, quite strict about these things. And so, my dear Starlight… …I need you to pick one of your members to stay behind here, hmm? It is, mmm, a terrible blow after everyone was so excited…"

"Th-that's…ridiculous…" I muttered.

"I wanted us all to go together… But if our team is disbanded, it will all have been for nothing… So I guess…we've got no choice…" Silvy said softly.

"Well, whoever gets left behind, if you get lonely, just come see me! Me and my… V-Weeeeel! …will turn that frown upside down."

"Dude, you're so annoying—ly good at staying upbeat. That's, uh, great, Victini. At any rate, now the quest is who'll stay behind… It's gotta be the weakest member, right? I mean, that just makes sense," Scraggy commented.

The weakest…member… Dunsparce thought.

"Yeah, I guess that does make sense… The Great Glacier is a complete unknown, after all. No one knows what'll be there. But I think there'll be plenty of danger," Gurdurr said.

"Strength has nothing to do with it. I know every adventurer really wants to go to the Great Glacier!" Silvy cried.

"And yet…to have to force someone to stay behind… This is awful," I said disappointingly.

"Hmm. I really do want everyone to be able to go. But there's nothing we can do about this one, hmm?"

The weakest member will stay behind… I knew it… I should…be the one to stay behind.

"Huh? What's wrong, Dunsparce?" Emolga asked.

Emolga noticed that Dunsparce was visibly shaking.

"Um…I… I…"

He can't be planning to-! Emolga suddenly thought.

"Ahhh! STOP! Dunsparce, you don't—"

"I'll stay behind."

"What!"

"What?!"

"Virizion!"

"Don't think I'm not interested in going to the Great Glacier. It sounds amazing. But I get cold really easily…and I don't really like walking into danger. So I'll just stay here in Paradise. I'll…see you later."

Virizon...you forced that…didn't you…?

"A-alright! My lovely Virizion is staying! Truth is, I was thinking, 'What would I do if my lovely Virizoin went away and left me here…' But, now I don't have to go through none of that heartbreak! GURDUUURRRRRR! Bwahahahahah!"

"… …What could have happened? Virizion's always pretty cool… And she doesn't tend to show her emotions much, but… It seemed like she wanted to go to the Great Glacier…more than anyone else…" I commented.

"Shin… Silvy… I don't like this. Why did things have to end up this way?" Emogla said.

"Yeah… But what can we do?" asked Silvy.

"Even if we change Virizion's mind, it doesn't change the fact that someone's gotta stay behind. Do you think we oughta tell Umbreon and Espeon about this?"

"Yeah…" I muttered.

"Shin? You'll go talk to them, right? I think they're up on the hill, working on their research. When you're ready to talk to them, Dunsparce and I will go with you."

"Alright. Leave it to me."

"Let's go Shin. We have a lot to talk about."

"Okay. Let's get going."

Up on the plateau, Umbreon and Espeon were discussing their research until we caught their attention.

"Ah. Shin!"

"You've all come at a great moment. We think we've just about got it. This time tomorrow, we'll all be standing in front of the Great Glacier."

"What? Really?!" Silvy exclaimed.

"Yes, really. It's something to look forward to. Tomorrow is the day we all go to the Great Glacier together!" Espeon said.

"Together…" I muttered.

"Well, you see… That's actually why we're here…"

All of us explained the situation about the Great Glacier and the disappointing fact that one of us had to stay behind.

"What? We can't all go to the Great Glacier?!" Umbreon said, shocked.

"And you say Virizion volunteered to stay behind?!" Espeon asked, shocked as well.

"Yeah… That's what it looks like…" I said.

"I get that someone has to be the one to stay here, but… It can't be Virizion," Umbreon said.

"Huh? Why?" Silvy asked.

"You all… Well, you all know Virizon doesn't like making friends, right?" Espeon started.

"Yeah… We know about that. Why?" Silvy affirmed.

"There's a reason she feels that way."

"What reason?" Emolga wondered.

"You see… Virizion did have a friend once. His name was Keldeo. Her friend Keldeo went off to take on the Great Glacier…and then all sign of him was lost," Umbreon explained.

"He…. He went to the Great Glacier?!" I said, amazed.

"Virizion was so worried that she kept searching for any sign of his fate… But in the end, she never found a thing… Then, after some time, she received a letter. It was from Keldeo. Apparently this is what the letter said, 'The truth is that I never even intended to go to the Great Glacier. I just wanted an excuse to get away from you. We aren't friends anymore. Just forget about me.'" Umbreon recalled.

"Whaaat?!" Dunsparce yelled.

"So, wait…he didn't go to the Great Glacier after all? Who cares about the stupid glacier! What kind of garbage is that?! Saying he just wanted to get away from Virizion. Saying they weren't friends anymore?!"

So that's what made Virizon so jaded. But Emolga is right. That letter doesn't sound honest. Something must have happened to Keldeo…

"The shock that Virizon must have felt when she read that… I can't even imagine. That feeling of stunned disbelief… And the desire to keep believing anyway… Those feelings become jumbled up until you know what what to trust any longer. Virizion told us it was because of that terrible experience…that she stopped believing in friendship," Espeon explained.

"We met Virizon after all of his had already happened. When she found out about our research, she told us about what had happened. She asked us to take her to the Great Glacier with us. I think she still hasn't given up on Keldeo. She probably thought she could find something if she went to the Great Glacier. And you say she volunteered not to go… I just can't believe that. Especially not now that she's become so cheerful again..."

"Huh? Cheerful? Virizion?!" Silvy said.

"She was nothing like this when we first met her, I'll have you know. I would guess her time here in Post Town has changed Virizon. Joining the Starlight… Meeting all of you… I think it has helped her regain the strength to trust in another Pokémon."

"And despite all that… Argh! That Virizion! What does she think she's doing?! At any rate, I'm planning to take her with us, whether she likes it or not," Umbreon fumed.

"…. … …"

We returned back home after finishing the discussion with Umbreon and Espeon. Silvy was quiet all the way back home.

"… … … So that's why Virizon didn't want to be friends with anyone, huh…"

"But, man, that Keldeo guy pulled a real number on her! Lying about going to the Great Glacier and then abandoning her like that… It's totally unforgivable!"

"Huh? I thought you didn't like Virizion. Right, Emolga?" I asked.

"N-no! I don't like her! Not at all! But still… That doesn't change the fact that this Keldeo guy is seriously awful!"

Nice denial and recovery, Emolga. Still, something doesn't seem right about this Keldeo. I honestly don't believe that he would do such a terrible thing to Virizion. I think it'd be better to assume that something happened in order for Keldeo to do such a thing. Just like Virizion thinks, we may be able to find something at the Great Glacier, I thought.

"Something on your mind, Shin?" Silvy asked.

"I was just thinking that if we go to the Great Glacier, we might be able to learn something about Keldeo and his actions."

"Don't tell me you're defending this guy?!"

"I'm not defending anything. All I'm saying is that he has to have had his reason for doing what he did. Just like Virizon, I want to know what happened to him."

"Well even if we find something, I'm not going to forgive him," Emolga said stubbornly.

So, Virizon really wanted to go to the Great Glacier. But she went and insisted on staying behind like that… It's gotta be because of that talk we had… If only I hadn't said that… Virizion probably volunteered to stay just so I'd get to go. But… Virizion is the one who really wants to go to the Great Glacier, Dunsparce thought.

"Hey, everyone. I-I think Umbreon is right. I think Virizzon should go to the Great Glacier after all."

"Dunsparce… You…"

"A-and that's why-! I'll st—"

"NO! Wait! OK? Just wait, please!"

"But-!"

"Emolga's right. No matter who decides to stay, we aren't going to feel right about it. No one should try to deny their own feelings like Virizion's trying to do. That goes for you, too, Dunsparce," I interrupted.

"Sniff…"

"I-I know! How about we leave the decision up to chance?" Emolga offered.

"You mean, like, draw straws or something?" Silvy asked.

"Yeah! We'll all draw straws to see who stays. Virizion will draw, too. And whoever gets the short straw is the one to stay in Paradise. We're never gonna feel right if somebody volunteers to stay behind, right? So wouldn't it be better if we just left it all up to luck? Then it'll be random!"

"Random, huh… Maybe that really is the best way to handle this…" I said.

"And if Virizon happens to be the one who draws the short straw…"

"Then she'll be the one to stay after all. If that happens, I'll just have to talk Umbreon into accepting it. I can make the straws for everybody tonight. What do you think, Silvy?"

"Hmm… to be honest, I don't really love the idea, but… There doesn't seem to be any other solution, so…"

"Alright. I'll get 'em ready by tomorrow. See ya!"

Emolga then went on his way to create the straws needed for tomorrow's departure.

"Well, this isn't a great solution… But I don't know what else we can do. I guess we'd better just do our work today and get ready for tomorrow…" I commented.

That night, after completing another request, we lay in bed, discussing about tomorrow.

"So tomorrow's finally the day that we go to the Great Glacier…"

"Yes…"

"I'm excited…but I'm still a little sad."

"I know how you feel. Being forced to leave someone behind…it's just not right."

"Argh! The more I think about it, the more mixed up I get! Let's just turn in early. Night, Shin."

Leaving words of frustration, she just turned towards the window and went to sleep, leaving me with my thoughts.

… … … I guess I should try to sleep, too…but… That stupid rule that someone has to stay behind… Isn't there anything we can do? Everyone wants to go so badly… Even I want to go check it out! The Great Glacier… But...how do my feelings compare to everyone else's? I've still go those dreams to worry about, though I haven't had any lately… but if I do have a new dream, and if I learn what I'm supposed to do…then I should really focus on that, right? And if that's what I should be doing…doesn't that mean…the one least qualified to go on this adventure… I think it might be me.

I stood up and walked towards the back window. The moon was large and full, flowing down its luminescent light. It was brighter than the stars tonight even with some clouds clumping the night sky.

We decided to go a random drawing tomorrow, but if I get the chance, I'll volunteer. Silvy… She did say we shouldn't deny our own feelings, but I still think it's what I need to do. I've got to make sure Virizion gets to go, at least…somehow.

"Morning, Shin."

I awoke to Silvy nudging me awake. It seemed she had got up first and was ready to move, hence why she was making me wake up.

"Morning, Silvy."

"Today's finally the day we go to the Great Glacier…"

"But first we have to decide who has to stay behind…"

"Kinda takes the joy out of it, huh?"

"Let's just go out and meet everyone. We shouldn't wallow in these thoughts for too long."

I took Silvy by the hand in order to drag her out into the light, both figuratively and metaphorically. She shouldn't show such a face of disappointment. It isn't right.

Outside our doorstep, Virizon, Emolga, and Dunsparce were waiting. Without a word, we all formed a circle and waited to for Emolga to speak up.

"I thought we'd already decided that I would be the one to stay. Why are we even doing this?" Virizon said, clearly irritated.

"Oh, just do it. We all just want to make sure it's fair and square. Even if you volunteer to stay behind, the rests of us are still gonna feel bad. So, on that note, Ta-daa! We're gonna leave it up to fate. The one who stays will be decided randomly. Everyone, pick a strip of paper," Emolga said cheerfully.

"Oh, this is ridiculous. Fine," Virizon said, conceding to the draw.

Everyone drew a piece of paper from Emolga's hand. We grabbed it and stepped back in order to view our respective fates.

"OK! One of these papers has a red mark at the end. That's the "short straw." Whoever gets that one is staying here. Everyone ready? And this decision is final, OK? No complaining allowed! OK. Everybody check your paper!"

Everyone checked the slips of paper. I didn't even need to try to listen to everyone. I could already tell their hearts were beating rapidly from anxiety.

"It…it's me! My paper has a red mark!"

Dunsparce, no!

"…S-so it's Dunsparce who… Well… It's totally random, so…so that's…only fair… That's it. The one who will stay behind…"

"No!" I shouted defiantely.

I can't let Dunsparce stay behind! I won't let Emolga finish that sentence!

"What?! Shin, you-?!" Silvy said.

"No! I should be the one to stay behind, like we planned!" Virizion said angrily.

"Not Virizion, too! You have to go, Virizion! I'll stay! If it means Virizon gets to go, just leave me hehind!" Silvy offered forcefully,

"No! No! No! Argh! What are you all doing?! The decision is final! We agreed! If you're all just gonna overrule it, then why'd we draw straws in the first place?!"

"That hardly matters! I'm staying and that's-"

"I'M STAYING!"

"D-Dunsparce…"

"Emolga's right. The decision is final. I'm the one who should stay. And…Virzion… You're the one who should go to the Great Glacier. That's the way it should be. We heard it all from Umbreon. You have to go to the Great Glacier. You can't stay behind. Not when you have reasons like that."

"… … …"

"And it's just like someone said yesterday… The weakest member should stay behind. I think that's exactly right. And more than anything, the fact that we drew straws…we all had a fair chance and I still drew the short straw. So I'm OK with it. I need you all to be OK with it, too. Leave Paradise to me!" And you all take care out there!"

Dunsparce… You don't have to force yourself. Everyone can see how crestfallen you are on the inside…

"Dunsparce…"

"So everyone…agrees…right? Dunsparce… I'm sorry, buddy… But someone has to stay behind, so there's no real choice…"

"It's OK, Emolga. I'll have Quagsire and Victini and everyone here, I won't be lonely or anything. Be careful at the Great Glacier and come back safe, OK? And bring me some good souvenirs!

"Yeah… So that's it, Silvy. Lead the way."

"R-right… Then I guess everyone should do whatever they need to get ready… And for now, Shin and I will go see how Umbreon and Espeon are doing. Let's go, Shin. They should be up on the hill…"

Everyone was wishing us good fortune on our way to Umbreon and Espeon. Pokémon were waving at us, wishing us luck, telling them to bring back a story or souvenir. Silvy tried her best to keep a positive attitude on her way there. Even though the others couldn't see, I could. It was clear Silvy was depressed from the outcome of the straw draw. Was this really the only way?

"Shin! Silvy!" We've been waiting for you!"

Espeon called out to us as we got to the top of the plateau. Umbreon was next to her, waiting as well.

"Does that mean…"

"That's right. We've finally completed the Entercards. All that's left to do is to summon the Magnagate itself," Umbreon said.

"So you finally did it!" I said, amazed.

"Then we'll head back for now and get everyone ready for the journey," Silvy said.

"Just give us the word when you want to go. And we'll be off to hte Great Glacier!" Umbreon stated.

""Got it!""

We took a step back to the small pond right next to them and began discussing our gear.

"Do we have everything we need?"

"Yes. I double-checked everything last night while you went to sleep."

"Thanks, Shin. I can always rely on you. What do you have prepared for us?"

A while ago, it was agreed that since we were always together, it would be better to carry one large bag rather than two smaller ones. Silvy suggested it and I saw some logic in it so I agreed to it.

"Well, we have Reviver Seeds for when one of us collapses from exhaustion. Without the field we had made in Paradise, having them would be a real rare occurance. Thanks to it, we have a scarce, but steady supply of them. I brought along four of them since we will be out there for a long time. I also brought some Oran Berries, Heal Seeds (for when we face ill status) and some orbs. These orbs were recommended by the shopkeeper. She said it would help us when we were lost or for when we needed a boost in strength during a tough fight."

"It sounds like you really made sure to have us prepared! Is the bag heavy?"

"No, it's about average. It's nothing I can't handle. We can rotate if you'd like."

"Yes, please. I don't want you to carry all the burden by youself…"

"Haha. It'll be okay. We'll be okay."

"OK."

We walked back to Umbreon and Espeon, who were also checking their gear, and told them we were ready for the trip.

"Alright, then. Let's get everybody up here and get this party started. We're going to summon you a Magnagate!"

It wasn't long before a large crowd came. Everyone from Paradise Center was here as well as the town folk.

"We're finally gonna see it! The perfected entrance to a dungeon!" Gurdurr said.

"It does seem somehow amazing, hmm? I'm, mmm, quite excited."

"Espeon, how's it looking over there?"

"I'm fine here. Everything is ready to go."

"Alright! Everybody stand back!"

Everyone in the crowd, including us, listened to Umbreon and got clear of them and their cards.

"Here we go!"

"Ready!"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

The same square that Umbreon used the first time had his set of Sun Entercards diagonally placed. Two different styled suns placed on crimson cards were awaiting the final Entercard. The other diagonal had a deep blue shade with a pale yellow crescent moon placed in its slot. The set was missing the other moon Entercard. After the countdown, Espeon placed the other moon card and the gate opened.

The gate had the vortex swirling counter-clockwise while an outer ring of indigo light was swirling clockwise of the vortex. Then the red bars full of symbols began to appear and stack over each other. The bars were not forming a perfect circle, just parts of the circle. Even some of the bars connected each other to bars above or below. As the circling bars began rotating against and with the vortex, it climbed higher into the sky growing narrower as it climbed.

"A-awesome…" Sraggy said, dumbfounded.

"So this is an entrance to a dungeon, summoned by the Entercards! So this is the Magnagate!" Gurdurr gasped.

"Yes! We did it at last, Umbreon!"

"Now we'll… We'll finally be able to get there! To the Great Glacier!

It was clear the sparkle in their eyes was from their pride in finally achieving their dream. After their momentary period of admiration as accomplished researchers, they turned to us.

"We've summoned the Magnagate."

"All we need to do now is to step into the light and be whisked away to the dungeon. There's gonna be lots for us to record in there, so we'll go on ahead."

"But be careful—the Magnagate will close after some time, so don't stand around!"

"Got it." "Understood."

"Time to go, Espeon!"

"I know! I hope you'll all join us soon!"

Those were their parting words as they were suddenly whisked away in a flash to the other side of the gate.

"Alright. We should get going, too."

"Yes. Let's go, everyone!"

"Everyone… Be careful out there!" Dunsparce warned.

Dunsparce…

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring back for me! When you get back…please tell me all about the Great Glacier! Huh? Wh-why am I crying? Th-that's…strange… I was planning to see you all off with a smile…so why am I…"

"Dunsparce…"

"Dunsparce…"

"There's no reason to cry, Dunsparce!"

Emolga yelled and quickly jumped behind Dunsparce and pushed him into the vortex with us.

"Wha-?"

"Dunsparce! You go to the Great Glacier!"

"Whaaat?!"

The vortex and ring were starting to pulsate with light. The rings in the sky suddenly disappeared as the vortex signaled its passengers that it was about to close.

It's closing?! Now?!

"Emolga!" I cried.

"And you'd better have the kind of amazing journey that you'll never forget! Have a thrilling adventure and then come back here to Paradise! I want you to burn every single sight and sound into your memory… And come back as an even greater Pokémon!

With tears in his eyes, he raised his head to look at the three of us,

"Y-you guys… Please… Please…look after Dunsparce for me!"

"Emolga!"

"Emolga!"

"I understand, Emolga!"

"No, Emolga! You can't do this! Emolgaaaaaa!"

The vortex closed and we disappeared, out of sight. The brightness returned, released from the vortex that sucked in everything into its depths.

"HAVE THE BEST ADVENUTRE EVER! AND COME BACK TO ME!"

Everyone gathered around Emolga, as he let his tears flow freely into the ground, sobbing.

"You did a good thing, kid…" whispered Gurdurr.

"Mm-hmm. You had this planned from the start, hmm?"

"Sniffle…"

"Cheer up, Emolga. Let's go. You can spin the V-Wheel!"

"Sniffle… Yeah, OK…"


	9. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

The blinding light was still in my eyes as I felt a sickening feeling of disorientation. It felt like my entire body was being pulled towards the earth as the sensation slowly faded as soon it became dark.

I had thought we were still being transported but nothing was changing. There was pitch darkness as our eyes tried to adjust to it.

"…. …. …. …. Where…are we? Is this the dungeon? …The one they made my manipulating the ley lines with the Entercards? It's so dark… I can't really see a thing," Silvy said.

"…Oh! I hear voices that way! Doesn't that sound like Umbreon?" Virizon exclaimed.

"Great! But which way is "that way"?" I asked.

"This way! Just follow me. It's dark, so watch your step," Virizion said.

We followed Virizon's voice and as we walked, our eyes began adjusting to the darkness, making it easier to walk. We made sure to stay close to each other as we followed after Virizion.

"So you all made it."

Espeon had greeted us as soon we came into the open. There was finally enough light to see everything clearly. We were in a grand chamber underground were the air felt cold. A thing mist could be seen floating at our feet as I continued to look at our surroundings. There was a pond in one corner of the room we were in. It glowed an eerie crystal blue as it reflected the stalagmites coming from beneath the water. Other stalagmites were grouped together throughout the room, but nothing that hindered our path.

"But Emolga…"

Dunsparce…

"It's still hard to believe…that Emolga stayed behind like that…" I said.

"I know… To pull a move like that at the very last moment…It just wasn't fair, you know?" Virizon said, disappointingly.

"But he probably…had no choice but to do it like that… And that's why…" 

"I see… So in the end it was Emolga…who stayed behind in Paradise," Umbreon whispered.

"Of course we had no choice but to leave someone behind… But it's sad, isn't it?" Espeon commented.

"Yeah, but we… We have to make Emolga's decision mean something," I said resolutely.

"Yes…I know… If he wants… He wants me…well, all of us…to have a good adventure…from back in Paradise. We have to respect that wish of his…and look forward now, not back," Dunsparce said.

"…I suppose you're right. I'm sure Emolga would be mad if he saw us all just moping around here," Virizion said acceptingly.

"…That's definitely true. So let's look ahead…and see what lies in front of us! We've all got to be in this together and make this adventure a success!"

Everyone nodded at Umbreon's wisdom. We steeled ourselves for the journey ahead and marched forward towards the exit.

"Umbreon! Isn't that-!"

"Yeah. There's no doubt about it. That's the entrance…to Telluric Path. So everything has gone just as we predicted it would."

"And now, what lies ahead is the real deal, everyone."

"We are about to enter a Mystery Dungeon. And what's more, since we created this one by forcefully twisting the ley lines about, there's no telling what degree of mysteriosity this dungeon might have."

"We don't know what might happen in there. Let's all be on our guard."

"Got it. The only other thing I'm worrying about now is those Pokémon who attacked you two before, Umbreon," I said.

"Do you think they might come so far as to attack us all here?" Silvy asked.

"Yeah, that's right! Now that you've left Post Town, they might come after you again!" Dunsparce said, worryingly.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Espeon reassured.

"The dungeons created by using the Entercards are quite special. Unless someone used the exact same set of Entercards to get here, there shold be little chance of anyone finding us."

"Is that right? Then I guess we've got nothing to worry about, huh?" I said, relieved.

"And according to my calculations, once we make it through this dungeon, we should find ourselves beyond the crevasses…and before the Great Glacier," Espeon said

"We'll need to split into two parties. Shin, your group will be one party. And everyone left over will make up the second party. So take care of the selections for us, would you, Shin?" Umbreon suggested.

"You want me to choose? I'll try my best then."

With the pressure of selecting the group members, I walked towards the column of gold block figures that lined the side of the path leading to the entrance to the dungeon. Somehow, it felt like the gold figures were warning us of the dangers and rewards for pressing forward inside.

"Something the matter, Shin?" Silvy said, looking concerned.

"I just feel a little pressured by being the Pokémon that selects the group. One group will have four while the other will walk in a pair."

"It doesn't have to be like that, you know. We can just go evenly by having two groups of three."

"Yes, you're right but that still leaves the issue of saying who goes with who."

"Well, you know that wherever you go, I'll always follow," she said with warm eyes.

"Silvy… Well, I guess that just leaves our last member, doesn't it?"

If Silvy and I were going to be in a group of three, that still left one member. I would like for Umbreon and Espeon to also be in a group together so as to continue their natural harmony. That just left Virizion and Dunsparce.

"Why don't we take Dunsparce with us and let Virizion go with Umbreon and Espeon?"

"If that's what you pick then everyone will follow your choice," Silvy said happily.

"OK!"

We all agreed to go in an even group with me, Silvy and Dunsparce and Umbreon, Espeon and Virizon together.

"Just look at this place, guys! It's so different from what we usually see."

After parting ways with the others, Dunsparce, Silvy and I made our way deeper into the dungeon. Just like the chamber we were in, Telluric Path was an underground dungeon that ran deep. The water that dripped from the stalactites and the underground ponds kept the caves cold and moist. It was very easy to get cold in here. Even though it was underground, light wasn't a problem here. The moss and plants were glowing a luminescent green and lit our way. We had no trouble progressing further with the plants lighting our way.

The Pokémon here were a mixture of Pokémon we met during our travels. The only notable one that was new to us was Mienfoo, the Martial Arts Pokémon. Mienfoo had the body and stance of a trained martial artist but the head of a weasel. It had a single oval shaped whisker on each cheek as well. The two black oval disks on its brow resembled eyebrows but were more for decoration, in my opinion, as it contrasted its pale cream body and burgundy arms and legs.

"It is ominous in my opinion. If it weren't for these plants that glow, we'd be lost in the darkness. Makes this place a lot creepier than it seems," I added.

"I find it mysterious and exciting. We don't have anything like this back home so we should enjoy this adventure as much as possible!"

Silvy was happily walking as she enjoyed our march through this maze. Her attitude really ruined the dark mood that this place tried to set up. In some sense, she was making this place feel more like a haunted mansion rather than a dangerous cave dungeon.

"Let's take a break for moment, guys. I'm starting to get tired."

"You sure that's a good idea, Dunsparce? The longer we stay in one place the likelier it is we'll run into something not friendly."

"You're worrying too much, Shin. If you're that concerned why don't you go ahead and make sure the coast is clear why Dunsparce rests. I'll watch out for him here."

"Somehow I feel like you're just using that as an excuse to rest yourself…"

"Heheh."

Her laughter gave her away, but it didn't matter in the end. If she wanted to rest that would be better. Her suggestion was a good one so I went a little further ahead in order to make sure nothing was in the way or was being guarded.

"Hmm. Nothing here seems to be dangerous at the moment."

The path didn't really have many other deviations. It was only a straight path for the time being so that made travelling less worrisome.

"Shin!"

Just as I was about to head back, I heard Silvy call out to me. Her voice had that urgency that hinted at danger. I hurried back towards the two only to see them cornered by two Pokémon, a Mienfoo and a Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokémon. Sandile was the spitting image of a small crocodile in desert colors. Its eyes were placed against pitch black sockets that made it seem it had no eyes at all.

"Shin! We're in trouble!" Dunsparce yelled.

Normally, Silvy would be able to dispatch Sandile, a Ground and Dark type, with ease. But because of Mienfoo, a Fighting type, she couldn't stray away from Dunsparce since he had a major type disadvantage agains Mienfoo. She couldn't risk that chance to let Dunsparce handle Sandile on his own. I would have charged right in, but Sandile's type made it dangerous for me to act reckless.

Sandile and Mienfoo noticed my presense and turned to look at me. They realized they were surrounded but that was the only advantaged we had. Their sneers revealed they knew they still had the upper hand. Mienfoo once again turned to face Dunsparce and Silvy. Judging from how nervous Silvy was, it was evident that Mienfoo had his sights on Dunsparce. Dunsparce, on the other hand, was defiantely looking at Mienfoo, not even giving an ounce of fear.

"Silvy, take care of this Sandile. I'll help Dunsparce!"

"But…!"

"It's okay, Silvy! I'm not afraid. I refuse to be afraid. I'm going to get stronger!"

Silvy took a glance and made a face that said she understood his feelings. She then faced me again.

"Okay! I'll take care of Sandile. You back up Dunsparce!"

I quickly nodded and she sent Sandile flying with her Leaf Tornado. This gave me my chance to paralyze Mienfoo with my Thunderwave. Mienfoo dodged it but it allowed me to get to Dunsparce's side.

"Are you ready, Dunsparce?"

"Yes! I'll prove to everyone that I can become stronger if I try!"

Dunsparce began closing the distance with Mienfoo. It was a dangerous move as he still had the type disadvantage. Whether he had a plan or not, only he knew as Mienfoo smirked and prepared to unleash a Force Palm. Force Palm was a simple jab with an open hand filled with his ki. The move also had the chance of causing paralysis. Dunsparce was still recklessly charging and gave no sign of flinching.

"I'll cover your charge!"

In order to give Dunsparce an easy target, I once again tried to paralyze Mienfoo. Instead of sidestepping, Mienfoo simply dodged by jumping into the air. He used the speed and force of the jump to reach the ceiling and then propel himself towards Dunsparce.

"Darn! I won't make it…!"

I still tried to intercept him with my Electro Ball that I launched towards an intercepting path of Mienfoo. As I predicted, the move would not reach him as he was closing in on Dunsprace.

"Dunsparce…!" I yelled.

Sensing his opponent was close, Dunsparce quickly dug underground. This threw off Mienfoo's attack as he had no choice but to land and get away as I threw a Thundershock his way. While he was busy dodging my attacks, he was still scanning the room, searching for Dusnparce's resurface. We both heard the earth being shifted and Mienfoo was the first to react and turn towards the direction he heard it from. This was an opening I did not simply let by as I sent my Thunderwave.

When it connected, it dropped Mienfoo to his knees as he was paralyzed and could not move from his position.

"Now, Dunsparce!"

As if he was waiting for my signal, Dunsparce emerged in front of Mienfoo and gave him a fierce headbutt. That strike finished Dunsparce's move, Dig. It was a move that involved burrowing underground, essentially providing safety from any attacks until the user came from underneath and struck their opponent when they were most vulnerable. Although Dunsparce was a Normal type, he was not strictly bound by moves of just that type. His move, Dig, proved that point by being a Ground Type.

Seizing Mienfoo's unbalanced state, I sent an Electro Ball and dealt damage of my own.

"Don't leave me out!"

Silvy created a vortex around Mienfoo and light began to come out of his body and flow towards Silvy. This move was Silvy's Mega Drain, a Grass type move that drained the energy of the opponent and replenished the user.

Mienfoo could not withstand the might of three consecutive attacks and finally collapsed, unconscious.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

"Nothing wrong here," Silvy responded.

"…. …. …."

"Dunsparce?"

Dunsparce was visibly trembling. I thought the shock from the fight had become too much for him to handle at once.

"…. ….I did it…"

"…Dunsparce?"

"I did it! I really did it!"

"Yeah, you did it, Dunsparce. You really dealt some damage to him." I complimented.

"Emolga would be proud," Silvy said.

We both gave him a pat on the back. Dunsparce was really showing the fruits of his training. No one could accuse him of being weak, anymore.

"Let's keep moving. Don't want to fall behind Espeon and Umbreon," I said.

""Right.""

As we progressed further, it had become noticeably colder with each passing minute. This was a definite sign that we were nearing our destination.

"Hey, is that the exit?" Dunsparce asked.

What he was referring to was an entryway that was shining brightly, giving no visibility as to what was on the other side.

"That must be it. Let's get going, everyone!" Silvy said.

We all started to run towards the entryway and as we passed through it, we felt the same sensation we did when we went through the Magnagate. The sensation didn't last long as we appeared outside near a cliff full of snow. We looked around and noticed that Vrizion, Umbreon and Espeon also made it through Telluric Path.

We looked around our surroundings for a moment and what we saw took our breaths away. This place was full of snow and hills. Nothing indicated that there was greenery here. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Is this… Are we outside?" Silvy asked.

"Whoa! Everything's covered in ice!" Dunsparce remarked.

"The mountain! I can see it!" Umbreon cried.

Everyone turned around and looked where Umbreon was looking at. There was a path in front of us full of frozen trees without any leaves and trees that were beginning to freeze over. Snow llined everything as the path led to the tallest mountain in the distance.

"You're right! The giant peak in front of us now must be the Great Glacier. And there are other huge mountains all around it…"

"It's a mountain…of ice, isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes… It's the glacier… At last…That has to be it… Right in front of us… The mysterious mountain of legend…" Umbreon remarked in wonder.

"The mysterious mountain?" Silvy said.

"That's right. It's also called the mysterious mountain…and it's in that glacier that we'll find it! The Great Crystal!" Umbreon said cryptically.

"Everyone! Look at this!"

Espeon called out to everyone from behind and turned our attention to the other side of the cliff.

"Countless huge crevasses! And even more glaciers behind us! Umbreon! We've done it! We made it across, just as we calculated! Across the great crevasse!"

"We did, Espeon."

"I know, Umbreon! It was all worth it! But our journey is still just beginning!"

"You're right! The reason this glacier is also called the mysterious mountain is because everyone says mysterious things happen around it. The details are all wrapped in mystery, but… Maybe that includes things like making objects levitate. In other words…I've got to believe that the Great Crystal that can make things float is right there in that glacier!"

"It would be amazing, that's for sure! So all your years of research have convinced you it must be here, huh?"

"Hehe! If only that were true… But I'm afraid not," Espeon said.

"Hey, Espeon! It's not funny!" Umbreon said, annoyed.

"Ahahah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Of course, we did do research and we did gather all the information we could… But I'm afraid there's not a single shred of evidence to confirm Umbreon's theory. It's all just rumors and hearsay. Nothing more than fairy tales."

"What?!" Silvy gasped.

"Well, no one knows the truth. So of course there's no evidence. Who needs evidence and proof! Rumors and heresay, that's good enough for me! That's where true mystery and intrigue lie! Don't you think so?"

"Heh! And here I was thinking you were just some stuffy researcher, Umbreon. But in fact you're no less of a dreamer than any of us adventurers! Well, we won't be outdone!" Silvy said happily.

"This is getting exciting!" Dunsparce said.

"Hmm. A crystal that makes objects float… That definitely is something I want to see for myself. Even if it's just rumors, we won't know until we find out!" I added.

"Alright! Let's go, folks! We're off! We don't know what kinds of enemies might be waiting…and we don't know what we'll find… But even so…we'll keep on going forward!" Silvy spoke.

""YEAAAHHHHHH!""

Traversing through the Great Glacier was somehow eeirrily tranquil. There weren't many sounds that nature could produce this far into the Great Glacier. All one could hear was the wind blowing from time to time and that unique crunchy sound you get from stepping in snow. The clouds rolled over slowly and created patches full of light and dark. There wasn't anything green about this place. It was just full of snow and rock; an everlasting winter permeated this land.

From time to time we would encounter wild Pokémon that resided here. I'd assumed that because the Great Glacier was full of snow we'd encounter mostly Ice type Pokémon, but I was wrong. We encountered a plethora of different typed Pokémon. The types we encountered here were Poison, Ghost, Fire, Ice and Water. I could understand Ice and Water types residing here, but Poison, Ghost and Fire types baffled me. The Poison type we encountered occasionally were Trubbish, the Trash Bag Pokémon. They were simple Pokémon that resembled a green trash bag with trashy arms and a sharp-toothed overbite that stuck out of its mouth. Since we were progressing as a group, Espeon would step in and handle Trubbish with a single Psybeam. Psybeam was a Psychic-type move, that Poison types are weak against, that fired a beam of psychic energy from her jewel. The Trubbish we encountered never stood a chance.

The Ghost type Pokémon we encountered were Yamask, the Spirit Pokémon. Yamask were odd Pokémon in that they had a red circle around each eye and a mark that looked like a tear. Their arms had fingers that curled upwards and they carried a mask by their tail beneath them as they floated around. Umbreon took the stage as he defeated Yamask with his Faint Attack, a Dark type move. It amazed me and Silvy whenever we saw the pair fight against their opponents. Although they were researchers, they were no slouches when it came to battling. Their years of exploring and research would have amounted to nothing if they couldn't defend themselves.

Virzion and Dunsparce would handle the Ice type Cubchoo whenever one impeded our progression. Cubchoo, the Chill Pokémon, appeared to be an adorable polar bear cub with a runny nose. When Silvy and Espeon encountered it, they were charmed by its cute appearance but when they got to close, they ended up frozen by its Powder Snow attack. Virizion rushed in front and dealt an effective Double Kick to incapacitate Cubchoo. Umbreon and I took a good deal of time to release them from their icy prison.

Panpour, the Spray Pokémon, was the Water type that Silvy and I would handle as soon as it appeared. Panpour resembled a small smiling monkey with poofy hair and large ears and at times appeared in groups. When groups appeared, we would split up and go up against them in order not to get in each other's way.

On occasion, we would encounter a Chandelure, the Luring Pokémon. This Fire type was also a Ghost type that resembled a chandelier with its tips burning a ghostly purple and blue. Its pale yellow eyes only emphasized its Ghost type properties. Everyone agreed to avoid it as none of us had a solid advantage against it.

"We've been walking towards the mountain for a while," I said.

"I'm starting to get tired, guys," Dunsparce added.

"It is getting dark. Maybe we should find a place to rest and wait for daybreak?" Virizion suggested.

"We should keep going! It's only a little farther."

"I'm with Umbreon. I can't wait until daybreak to get to the mountain!" Silvy said.

"Now now, you two. If you two want to freeze out in the night, alone, then go right ahead. The rest of us will go find shelter and go find your frozen bodies when the sun comes out."

""Ugh…""

Being chastised and mocked by Espeon was enough to make the both of them cringe. In the end, they did see reason and helped all of us find a suitable location to rest and sleep.

"Hey! I see a cave we can enter!" Dunsparce yelled.

Dunsparce was the first to notice the cave that was nearby as we looked for a suitable place to rest. It was wide enough for everyone to enter and large enough to accommodate everyone without feeling cramped. The only issue now was,

"How will we start a fire? Can't expect us to last without one," Dunsparce noted.

"Anybody know any Fire type moves?" I asked sarcastically.

"Can't you do something, Shin? Can't you use your electric moves to start a fire?" Silvy asked.

"I could, but I'm not sure if it would work. I guess we'll have to try it anyway."

No one else had any other ideas to contribute so we all went outside to gather wood to burn. Silvy would cut down trees using her latest move, Leaf Blade. She would sharpen her tail leaves to a razor sharp edge and slash at the trunk of a dead tree. The rest of us would take a pile of wood and carry or roll it to the cave. Once the last of wood had been taken to the cave, we set up a fire pit to use. When it was ready, I was about to use a weakened Electro Ball in order to cause a spark until,

"…! Everyone, get down!"

I told everyone to get down in the nick of time as a fire ball flew over our heads and then burst as it scattered embers about.

"What was that?!" Silvy cried.

"That was Flame Burst," I answered.

"Who could have used that?" Dunsparce said.

"Are we being pursued?!" Virizion said.

Everyone ran outside in order to see the assailant and were shocked to see it was Chandelure that was attacking us.

"Why is Chandelure attacking us?!" Umbreon asked.

"Scatter!" Espeon ordered.

Chandelure unleashed another Flame Burst while everyone was grouped together but when Espeon told us to move, the move missed and went past us. As we were, we had Chandelure surrounded but it did not give any sign of being worried at all.

It's not scared of being outnumbered…?

As my suspicions grew, Chandelure's eyes began to glow ominously. It stared at Virizon's direction and hypnotic waves could be seen being transmitted to Virizon.

Oh no…!

"Everyone! Get away from Virizon!"

"What? Why?" Dunsparce asked.

As soon as Dunsparce asked, he was tackled by Virizion, whose eyes were glowing red.

"What are you doing, Virizion?!" Silvy said.

"It's Chandelure! He used Confuse Ray on Virizon!" I yelled.

"Oh no…!" Umbreon gasped.

"What shall we do?!" Espeon cried.

Everyone was in disarray as they did their best to dodge Virizon's attacks and Chandelure's attacks simultaneously. As we were, we had no unity and could not launch a counterattack.

"There must be something we can do...!" I muttered.

I couldn't think straight as I kept dodging Chandelure's attacks. Apparently it had noticed what I was doing and considered me the greatest threat out of the group. I couldn't afford to dodge every Flame Burst, as the move had a secondary ability to scatter embers after making contact. This secondary ability allowed it to harm any other Pokémon in the vicinity of its burst.

"Argh!"

"Iyaah!"

I couldn't dodge this time and it left my abdomen burnt from the attack. The embers that flew after managed to scorch Silvy for heavy damage. Everyone else couldn't dodge for much longer as they were all becoming tired. Virizon herself did not show any sign of relenting.

"No choice. Espeon! Umbreon! Subdue Virizon!"

""What?!""

"I know! But what choice do we have?! We can't fight the two of them at the same time and Virizion will be safer if she's knocked out!"

"We'll do our best then!"

"Forgive us, Virizon."

"Dunsparce! Silvy! Let's take on Chandelure together!"

I gave everyone orders in order to give them direction and to calm the situation a little. It seemed to have worked as Umbreon and Espeon were working together to subdue Virizon and Dunsparce and Silvy ran over to help me against Chandelure.

"What do you have in mind, Shin?" Silvy asked.

"I'll do whatever I can, Shin! So just give me directions!" Dunsparce said enthusiastically.

"We need to watch out for Chandelure's Confuse Ray. One look at it, and we'll be the same as Virizon. Attack and keep moving. Don't stay in one place for too long!"

""Right!""

They had their instructions and were ready to take on Chandelure. I started things off by trying to paralyze Chandelure but it dodged by quickly side stepping to the left. Silvy took the chance to unleash her Leaf Tornado. It connected but since the type matchups were stacked against her, it did not deal as much damage as it would. Meanwhile, during Chandelure's dodge, Dunsparce took the chance to dig his way underground in order to attack Chandelure. As it was withstanding the Leaf Tornado, Dunsparce came up from underground and gave Chandelure a mighty blow that was super effective. I didn't miss a beat as I struck Chandelure with a Thunderbolt, my latest move.

"Graaah…!"

Being pushed back, Chandelure tried to use Confuse Ray to gain some assistance but since we kept moving, it couldn't pick one of us out. Out of frustration, Chandelure released a cloud of Smog in order to plant us in one spot. Smog was a Poison type move that dealt little damage but had the chance of poisoning us. Silvy and I both dodged by jumping and Dunsparce burrowed underground, ready to attack. While in the air, I sent out an Electro Ball and Silvy sent her Leaf Tornado. The two moves combined and Electro Ball was being guided by Leaf Tornado as it collided against Chandelure. Dunsparce himself struck a second after our attacks made contact.

"Don't forget about us!"

Espeon shot out a Psybeam that was effective against Chandelure and Umbreon dealt a Faint Attack as Chandelure was pushed back into Umbreon's range.

"Grrr…."

"Here's some payback for the disgrace!"

A swarm of Magical Leaf surrounded Chandelure and began shredding him.

"Everyone, one last push!"

On my signal, everyone unleashed their attacks on Chandelure. The concentration was too much for it to bear and as it was about to flee, Dunsparce delivered the final blow.

"I won't let you…!"

"Urwaaaa!"

The last blow of Dunsparce's Dig was enough to knock Chandelure unconscious. We all gathered around to see if everyone was alright.

"How did you manage to make Virizion come to?" I asked.

"She just needed a wake-up call, is all," Espeon answered coyly.

"Yeah, and I had to be the one to do it," Umbreon said wryly.

"Well, no one asked you to wake me up. I was having the most pleasant dream," Virizon replied.

"You mean a dream that involved hurting everyone," Silvy asked.

"No. A dream where I was playing tag with everyone."

"That doesn't sound very fun for us," Dunsparce said, tired.

We all laughed at Dunsparce's comment and walked back towards the cave. Somehow, I felt like leaving Chandelure here would weigh heavy on me. After convincing everyone to at least let Chandelure stay by the entrance where we could watch him, we dragged him with us. Luckily, the first Flame Burst he used lit up some firewood so we tossed that into the fire pit and gathered around it.

"We're almost there. We'll reach the mountain by tomorrow afternoon…" Umbreon said in wonder.

"I can't wait to see what lies there!" Silvy said.

"All of our efforts will be worth it. Let's not get careless," Espeon warned.

"Well first we must rest. A lady needs her rest if she is to work hard," Virizion said with a laugh.

"I want to sleep! I'm tired after that fight," Dunsparce said.

"Why don't take shifts and watch over Chandelure? We don't want to be caught off guard so I'll take the first shift," I volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Silvy asked, worriedly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You all should sleep."

"Okay. But be sure to wake me when you start to get tired!"

"I will. Now get some rest."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight. Rest well everyone."

With that, everyone laid down to sleep. Silvy decided to sleep next to me, probably out of habit. It didn't really bother me. It was nice seeing her sleep easily.

"We're almost to the mountain. I can't wait to see if Umbreon's research is really true…"

I couldn't help but feel so much excitement over what was to come in the morning. It was enough to make one stay awake.

As I stared at the fire, lost in thought, a Pokémon was stirring. The noise of it waking me up caught my attention and I noticed Chandelure was beginning to awaken. As a peace offering, I gave it some of the Oran Berries I brought with us. We had a surplus with all of the items we would find on our journey here.

Upon noticing the berries, Chandelure hungrily ate them.

"This is a peace offering. Can you speak?"

"Hm…mm?"

"We want to be friends."

"Fri..ends…?"

"Yes, friends. Please have some more."

It seemed to understand that if being friends meant it could eat more, it happily agreed to become one.

"Come to think of it, do you know the way to the mountain?"

I pointed towards the mountain the moon was shining on for clarification.

"Moun…tain…?"

"Yes. I want to go there. Is there an easier path?"

"Easy…path? Path…to…moun…tain…easy."

"You know the way?"

"Yes…"

"Can you take us there?!"

"Yes….for…more….ber…ries."

"It's a deal!"

I happily gave him some more Oran Berries and he just as fast ate them. From the way its eyes were, I had to guess it was starting to become sleepy. I let Chandelure sleep first before succumbing to drowsiness first.

"Shin, wake up! Wake up!"

Silvy nudged me awake and when I opened my eyes, I could see a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Chandelur, he's gone. Where'd he go? Didn't you say you were going to wake me when it was your turn to sleep?!"

"The both of us had an understanding. I don't see why it would leave all of a—"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as Chandelure was lazily drifting into the cave.

"Everyone, wake up! Chandelure is back!"

At the announcement that Chandelure is back, everyone awoke and got ready for another fierce battle against him. I went between him and Silvy in order to try and reason with them.

"Wait wait, everyone! Chandelure is friendly. He's agreed to help us get to the mountain quicker."

"He has?" Dunsparce asked.

"Yes. We both talked a little bit and we came to an understanding. He agreed to take us to the mountain in exchange for Oran Berries to eat."

"How do we know we can trust him?" Umbreon questioned.

"I won't…attack…new friend. I will…take…to mountain."

"He spoke?!" Espeon gasped.

"He can talk, but fragmented sentences only. We still can communicate, though. Let's trust him like I do."

"Give Oran Berries….I'll take…you…all…to…moun….tain."

Everyone looked dubious but decided to at least trust me so they handed over an Oran Berry each and Chandelure happily ate them. When he finished he turned around outside without a word and began floating towards the mountain.

"He-hey! Wait for us!" I cried.

Not much time passed before the mountain appeared visibly closer. It seemed we would arrive before the sun reached its apex, but Chandelure suddenly stopped.

"I…can't go…further. Go on ahead…mountain…close."

"It seems Chandelure can't go on anymore. I wonder if there's something even he is afraid of?" I wondered.

"Well whatever it is, we won't know until we get there. C'mon, Shin! Let's keep moing."

"I'll catch up with everyone. I just want to say goodbye to Chandelure."

"Okay. Don't be too long and fall behind. The rest of us will go on ahead."

Silvy acknowledged my request and then continued on forward towards the mountain. Everyone bid their goodbyes and thanks to Chandelure as they passed him.

"Well Chandelure, I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for all the help."

"Will…come back?"

"I don't think so. We came to see the mountain and its secrets."

"Oh…."

"But I tell you what we can do. We can still be friends and meet each other in Paradise!"

"Friends….Paradise?"

"Yes. There's this place where a lot of us are and we're all friends. We play together, eat together and have fun together. Would you like to join us?"

"Would you…be there?"

"Yes."

"Would….I get…to eat…more?"

"Yes."

"I'd…like…that….very…much."

"OK! Then allow me to do the honor!"

Chandelure had agreed to be a part of Paradise and when we met new Pokémon out in the dungeons that wanted to be a part of Paradise, we had a simple procedure. We made sure they wanted to be a part of our paradise and when they agreed we welcomed them. Then we would hold our team badges above them until it glowed and they were whisked away by light towards Paradise.

"I'll see you back in Paradise, Chandelure!"

"I'll wait…for…new friend."

Something about his last words as he was sent away told me they were filled with warmth he had never felt. Another friend was joined our Paradise and it seemed to only get bigger. With a renewed sense of energy, I hurried on to catch up to everyone else.

"We've come pretty far in…Ah! Shin! Over there! That might be it! Let's go check it out!" Silvy said.

We came out from the dungeon part of Glacier Mountain to find a cliff facing the mountain. The clear sky and the bright white snow really emphasized the majesty that was the glacier in front of us. Although there were still crevasses in front of us, we still partook in the beauty that was the glacier. It was so close it felt like we only need to take a few steps to stand before it.

"Oh! The glacier is so close now!" Dunsparce said.

"It's beautiful… The ice looks as clear as glass… It's kina mysterious, huh? The way it reflects the light like that," Silvy said, bedazzled.

"We've finally made it this far…" I whispered.

"We're almost there! At last!" Umbreon said, full of pride.

"But…it looks like the worst still ahead of us," Virizion noted worryingly.

"What?" Silvy asked.

Everyone walked a little forward towards the edge where Virizon standing. Everyone was shocked to see how deep the chasm fell and how wide it was towards the other side.

"You're right! There're huge crevasses here, too!" Dunsparce cried.

"…They just go on and on. It doesn't look like we're going to find any easy route around them." I said.

"Ugh! And just when we were getting close!" Espeon said in frustration.

"I don't think any of us could make it across these crevasses by jumping… What do we do now?" Silvy pondered.

Everyone had a grim look as they wondered what to do. It wasn't even noon so we still had plenty of daylight to ponder our next move. While everyone stared at the crevasses or the glacier, I looked around to get a sense of where we were.

…Huh? Is that…

Something on the ground caught my attention. I parted from the group in order to investigate it and what I saw surprised me.

There's a…a round mark here in the ground, though it's faint. It's like the ice was gouged out here…Hang on, wait a second! This is… The shape… The size… It's all so… I know I've seen this somewhere before…but…where? Oh! That's it! But how could it be?!

I thought back to when Espeon and Umbreon opened the Magnagate in order to lead us here.

That's right… After they summoned the Magnagate… The whirlpool of light that burst out of the ground... It left a mark just like this one. Could this really be…

"Huh? Shin? What is it?"

Silvy noticed that I wasn't with him so she went out to look for me. She found me and wondered what I was doing here by myself. I explained to her that the mark in front of me were remnants of a previous Magnagate that was opened.

"What?! A Magnagate's…remains?"

Everyone else was just as surprised by this revelation and Umbreon and Espeon went towards the remains I pointed out to examine it.

"…It's true alright. I've no doubt a Magnagate was summoned right here on this spot."

"The indentation is faint… Considering the appearance of the ice, it would seem this mark is quite old. It's a wonder you even spotted it."

"Espeon… This mark… Anything come to mind when you look at it?"

"Yes. Whoever it was used the standard set of Entercards… And the way they wielded the ley lines is not all that complicated… But if my estimates are correct, then their goal just has to be… It really is…quite remarkable."

"Should we try it? You know which cards to use here, don't you?"

"Yes. Let's hope for success. Everyone, please step back for a moment."

We took a few steps back as we were told as Umbreon rummaged through his sack. He took out the purple container they used earlier to set the Entercards before. Umbreon placed his set of cards in a different position this time. Instead of having his sun cards lined up diagonally from the left to right, he lined them up on the left column. The sun without a center in the circle was placed atop the sun with a filled circle. The lunar card with a waning crescent moon to the lower right was placed at the top of the right column and only need the last lunar Entercard.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!"

On the count of three, Espeon placed the last lunar Entercard with a waning cresent moon to the left with lines filling the empty space left. The same reaction that signified a Magnagate opening occurred. Pillars of light sprung forth from the crevasses, showing a guiding light towards the glacier.

"The light…it leads to the glacier!" Silvy remarked.

"There's no doubt about it. The remains of the Magnagate… This path was used…to lead straight from here to the Great Glacier," Umbreon concluded.

"What?! But that means-?!" Dunsparce started.

"Someone summoned a Magnagate here…and then made their way to the glacier," Espeon finished.

"So that means someone came here before us?" I stated.

"I can't say for sure. Maybe some Pokémon living around here used something like Entercards and used this as a path to get around the crevasses or something," Umbreon theorized.

"I don't know the answer, but… Perhaps this mystery will be cleared up if we also go to the glacier?" Virizon thought.

"Umm… Doesn't this light disappear after a certain amount of time?" Dunsparce asked.

"That's right. Let's hurry," Espeon urged.

Dunsparce noted how the light of the Magnagate was flickering, each pulse of light weaker than the last. This made Espeon urge everyone to get into the gate before it closed.

"Here we go, everybody! On to the glacier!" Silvy declared.

On Silvy's declaration, everyone jumped into the Magnagate and were whisked away to the dungeon the gate connected to.


	10. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

Again we were transported underground as the Magnagate gate closed once more. The familiar gold monuments paving the way towards another dungeon were there. The soft sound of water dripping into a body of water could be heard. The air here was cold as the pond nearby glowed mysteriously.

"Thank goodness. Looks like everyone made it in," Espeon said.

"If we keep heading in from here, we should end up at the glacier. Be on your guard, folks," Umbreon warned.

"Shin? You can decide who's gonna go, right? We're counting on you," Virizon said.

I went towards the gold monuments to gather my thoughts on the dungeon ahead.

We've come pretty far in. Would grouping together the same way we did during the Telluric Path be okay? Maybe break into a group of four and two? If we were to do that, then who would be the odd couple out?

In the end, I was about to decide to continue forwards using the same group formation when Silvy came up to me.

"Hey Shin. Have you decided on how to pair us up?"

"I think I'll just have us stay evenly with two groups of three. Virizion will go with us while Dunsparce goes Umbreon and Espeon."

"OK. If it's you, we'll be alright. Shouldn't we get going?"

"You're right. Let's set up the group and get moving."

The Glacier Underpass was even colder than Telluric Path. Since we were traveling beneath the snow and creveasses, it was only natural. Only the plant life here gave light to this dark place. The light would dance on the ceiling or wall whenever it was reflected by pools of water, giving this place a rather surreal feel to it.

"I wonder who made this path to the glacier?" I pondered.

"Whoever did it, they sure made it easier for us to get to the glacier," Silvy said.

"It is rather mysterious. Let's proceed with caution. We don't know what lies ahead," Virizon warned.

There really wasn't much difference between the Telluric Path and the Glacier Underpass. The only real difference was its residents and the environment's temperature. For the most part, the residents were mostly the same from the Great Glacier. Additionally, there were two others that resided here, Piloswine, the Swine Pokémon and Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. Piloswine was a Ground and Ice type that was covered entirely in light brown fur. The only visible parts to it were its pink nose, floppy ears and tusks. Zorua, on the other hand, was a Dark type that was difficult to handle. Its real form was that of a small fox with a raven colored coat and jet-black mane. It had crimson tipped feet, eye lids, brows and the upper half of its spiral head of hair was laced in crimson. It had the ability to appear disguised as an entirely different Pokémon. This often led us to be wary as to how to approach any Pokémon that challenged as it could very well be a Zorua in disguise.

Traveling through the Glacier Underpass went faster than the Telluric Path. Maybe because our excitement motivated us to move faster than usual or perhaps it was that the underpass was short in length. As we progressed further, it was noticeable that we were travelling further underground but we were still moving forward. Silvy was the first to notice we were nearing the exit.

"I think we've come pretty far in, but…"

Before Silvy could finish her thought, Dunsparce, Espeon and Umbreon had caught up with us and joined our group.

As we described the events that occurred to us we made our way through here, Dunsparce came back from scouting up ahead.

"Hey, everybody! There's a light coming from over there!" Dunsparce yelled.

We all turned our heads to each other and our faces lit up.

"Sounds like it could be an exit!" Umbreon said.

"Let's go!" I said.

We followed Dunsparce to where he found the source of light and sure enough, it was an exit. We all walked together outside and what we saw stunned us. We rushed forward to get a bigger picture of what we saw.

"Wh…what is this?!" Silvy said.

What mystified Silvy, all of us, was the sight of a gigantic crystal palace. The light glittered against it as we stared at it briefly. There didn't appear to be any part of the palace that wasn't filled with jagged crystals.

"Wh-what's with this place? At first I thought we'd made it outside, but… When you look carefully, this doesn't seem to be…" Dunsparce, dumbfounded.

"This can't be-!" Umbreon said.

"It is surprising, isn't it? That is definitely sunlight, and yet we still appear to be within the structure," Virizon said calmly.

"Virizon is right. It seems this whole chamber is covered with a layer of ice. In other words, we're right now…actually inside the glacier," I announced.

Everyone was shocked over Virizion and my announcement. It was obvious that we've come a fair way into the Great Glacier itself, and that only added to the mysterious magnificence of this geographical feature, for sunlight was still pouring in through the translucent ice.

"In-inside the glacier?!" Silvy yelled.

"Yes. It looks as though the glacier is hollow inside. Look up," Virizon said.

At Virizon's urging, everyone looked up towards the dome. Light was playing with the crystals as sparkles could be seen darting between our eyes.

"It's sparkling… It's a ceiling of ice," Silvy said in awe.

"The light from outside is being reflected by the ice. This whole place is covered in ice. It's like a giant dome of ice," I explained.

"And…that thing in the middle… What could it possibly be?" Espeon wondered.

"Are those pillars of ice? It's like a whole bunch of ice pillars were stuck on top of one another in one big…" Silvy started.

"Well, it's almost like… It's almost like a big…" Emolga started.

"A palace of ice…" I finished.

"A palace of ice… Shin and Dunsparce may not be too far from the mark there. And there… There inside that ice palace…could be the legendary Great Crystal that I've been searching for. I have to thank you all. It's all because of you that we've made it this far. I am so grateful for that," Umbreon said wholeheartedly.

"Goodness, Umbreon. Are you going soft on us? Besides, it's still far too early for any thanks or celebration!" Espeon teased.

"That's right. The real adventure is just about to begin, isn't it?" I said confidently.

"There could still be tons of treasures to be found! Let's get moving already!" Dunsparce said impatiently.

"You're right about that. But I'm grateful anyway. Thanks, everyone. Our adventure is finally reaching its peak! Let's not back down now!" Umbreon said.

As Umbreon hoped, perhaps within the crystalline ice palace ahead is the Great Crystal? That was what we intended to find out as we made our way to the palace.

There wasn't an easy way to get to the Glacier Palace. From where we were staring at it, a nearby path led down and towards it, so we followed it until we've arrived at the base of the palace.

"It's amazing how the ice here actually had paths and stairs that lead to upper levels…" Umbreon observed.

What he was referring to was the stairs that took us to a higher level of the palace. There wasn't any entrance at the base, only stairs. When we climbed as high as we could, the path laid before us was neither treacherous nor mangled. There were cracks in the ice, some even leading to pitfalls that fell into an abyss. We observed the ice formations as we walked towards an entrance at the far end of the path.

"Just look at this place. Ice crystals everywhere you see and everything looks beautiful because of how the light reflects of it," Silvy admired.

"Look, look, everyone! There are broken pillars of ice here!" Dunsparce pointed out.

We all looked over the edge and can see what looked like ice in the shape of pillars, broken.

"Do you think this is because of old age?" I asked.

"I don't believe so. Something must have fallen and collided with it for it to be broken in this way," Espeon observed.

"If that's the case, we must be wary of everything above us," Virizon warned.

With Virizon's warning in our mind, we hurried towards the entrance and began our ascent of the Glacier Palace.

The inside of the Glacier Palace wasn't as marvelous as its exterior. Pitfalls could be seen in everywhere and cracks tended to lead towards chasms that plummeted one to their doom. Since this palace was made of ice, if one was not careful, slipping was a definite possibility and that spelled danger for all of us.

"Watch your step. Don't want any one of you falling now," I cautioned.

"Kyaah!"

No sooner did I finish warning everyone about the floor when Silvy slipped and fell on the cold ground.

"This is why I warned you to be careful. Here, take my hand, Silvy," I offered.

"Thank you."

She took hold of my hand and I brought her back to her feet. She asked to continue holding on to me as we proceeded further in and I happily accepted. I took her hand in mind and could feel her warmth in our palms. Her face was flushed as she stared at the ground for a bit. I assumed she was looking to make sure she wasn't going to trip again. Everyone else stared with a smile at our antics.

Before long, we were ascending the palace at a good rate. There wasn't much conflict here, but I had hoped that we would not see any at all; Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokémon, Tirtouga, the Prototurtle Pokémon and Palpitoad, the Vibration Pokémon were residents of this palace along with Piloswine and Zorua. Pawniard was a small Pokémon with blades placed on its torso, head and arms on a black and crimson body. Tirtouga was a large blue turtle with a black shell that had six round depressions. Palpitoad resembled the stage of a frog that was about to lose its tail, only it did not have arms and had bulbous orbs on its head and sides.

Every now and then as we continued towards the top of the palace we would see Tirtouga using their shells to glide on the ice. This warned us of how fast some of our foes could travel so we were careful when we came to corners and intersections that allowed our enemies to ambush or approach us at alarming speeds.

As we continued climbing, we eventually came upon another path similar to the one that allowed us to enter Glacier Palace. Just like down below, there were pillars here only these were supporting the ceiling above us. These pillars themselves looked to be far newer compared to the ones we saw previously.

"Look, everyone. None of these pillars are broken or appear to be old," Dunsparce commented.

Indeed, the pillars themselves appeared to have been perfectly sculpted as their base had rings for decoration and farther above was a carved jewel, appealing to the eye.

"These look new compared to the ones down below. They have designs to reinforce that this place really is a palace," Umbreon said.

"If that's the case, then we must be getting closer to something important," Espeon added.

Everyone nodded in agreement and we reentered the palace. The interior we entered seemed much more intact than the floors beneath us. It was if deterioration was beginning from the base and was slowly, but surely, ascending to the upper echelons of the palace. Another that was noticeable was the decrease in temperature. Even our surroundings looked more frozen than the lower levels. Although it wasn't much of a bother for us, it was still something to note as we pressed on.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah…"

"You OK, Dunsparce?" Virizion asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It seems a little hard to breathe in here, but…"

"You know, I've been thinking the same thing… Maybe it's because we've come up so high?" Silvy pondered.

"Hmm, I wonder about that. I don't really believe we've come so far up as that…" Espeon refuted.

"Everyone! Come take a look at this!" Umbreon exclaimed.

We all followed Umbreon as he hurried forward in a fervor. What he showed us left us dazed.

"They're-!" I started.

"They're floating?! The chunks of ice are floating in the air!" Dunsparce finished.

"That's not all. There are other things floating here and there," Umbreon pointed out.

"So then it's true!" Espeon concluded.

"Looks that way. We can't just chalk it up to a baseless rumor anymore!"

The legendary Great Crystal that has only been a story up until now… But now that we've come here, it's finally starting to feel like it could be real…

Something sparkled in the corner that caught Silvy's attention.

"Huh? Did anyone see something flash…"

She walked up to where she thought the object was.

"Oh, it's reflecting the light back. What is this thing?"

"There are more of them over this way, too. They're so clear and beautiful…" Dunsparce noted.

"Aren't these…Frisms?" Espeon observed.

"Frisms?" I aksed.

"That's right. They are an incredibly rare kind of treasure."

"Did you say…TREASURE?" Dunsparce yelled.

"That's right."

"But what a shock. I've never seen this many of 'em in one place before," Umbreon said.

"Well, this discovery alone has surely made the trip worth it!" Espeon said happily.

"Isn't this great, Silvy?! We're surrounded by all this treasure!" Dunsparce exclaimed.

"Heh heh! And they aren't just valued for their beauty, you know. Silvy, can I borrow you for a moment? Do you see that large opening on one end of the Frism? Would you try saying something into that opening?"

"Into the hole? Sure."

Silvy then turned around and spoke into the nearest Frism.

"Umm… We are…the Starlight!"

'…are the Starlight! ..re the…th…'

"Whoa! The Frism kind of echoed?!"

"Oooh! And now the clear part turned cloudy white!" Dunsparce said.

"What is that? That white part, Espeon?" I asked.

"That is Silvy's voice…frozen in crystal."

"M-my voice?!"

"That's right. Now, why don't you try warming up the Frism?"

"Warming it up? But how…"

"You could try touching it, or even just blowing your breath on it. The white crystal should melt. Go on. Try it."

"OK."

Silvy then drew her face close and gently blew at the white part of the Frism. The frozen part of the Frism then began to produce sounds.

'Umm… We are…the Starlight!'

"That's Silvy voice!" Dunsparce.

Wow! So it's like a voice recorder! To think that human technology could occur in nature…Amazing… I thought in wonder.

"Is that really my voice? Sounds kinda strange… But these things are really cool!"

"How about it? Now do you understand why Frisms are such special treasures?"

"Yeah. I love these things!"

"How about we take some of these Frisms home?" I offered.

"Yeah! We can give some to Emolga for staying behind!" Dunsparce added.

"Yeah. Good idea! He's gonna love this! Of course it would be too greedy of us to take them all… But we should definitely take some!"

"Well then, let's each collect one," Espeon said.

All of us quickly went towards the Frisms and began playing and imagining what we could do with them. All of us were quite excited over the Frisms, except for one.

"Huh? This Frism…"

"What's up, Virizion?" Espeon asked.

"This Frism…is already white."

"It's true. That must mean it has a recording already," I said.

"It probably just picked up the sound of the ice creaking or something… But we might as well check it out, right?" Umbreon said.

"Can I do it this time?" Dunsparce asked eagerly.

"Be my guest. Go ahead, Dunsparce," Espeon obliged.

"Thanks!"

Just as Silvy did, Dunsparce approached the Frism and warmed it with his breath. The frozen part of the Frism began to produce sounds.

'…I…I'll leave…this Frism behind me…'

The moment the Frism began repeating the words left behind, Virizion was visibly shocked by the voice that was speaking.

"This is…a Pokémon's voice!" Espeon exclaimed.

'This will be…the record of my adventure. I've decided to leave this Frism here as a record proving that I reached this Glacier Palace. And I leave this Frism, and my voice, for you. Um… So, let's see… I'm really glad that I've come this far. Seeing solid objects floating in the air… Standing inside a hollow glacier… And this fantastic palace of ice! It's been like a dream. Everything seems to sparkle here. And every last thing is amazing.'

"This… This means someone made it here before us, doesn't it?" I asked.

"Huh? Virzion… What's the matter?" Silvy asked.

Silvy noticed the solemn expression Virizion was making as she stared at the Frism. When she pointed it out, everyone noticed, too, the tears in her eyes.

"…Virizon! Are you… Are you actually crying?" Umbreon tentatively asked.

"What? Virizon's crying?!" Dunsparce remarked.

The cool, collected Virzion is… Then that must mean this voice can only be…

"Umbreon… I…I know…this voice… It's Keldeo."

"What? Keldeo?!" Espeon gasped.

"You mean…THAT Keldeo? The one who sent that letter saying you weren't friends anymore? But didn't his letter say he never went to the Great Glacier? So then why is this recording here?" Silvy wondered.

"I don't know… Let's listen to the rest of the message, shall we?" Espeon said.

'…I say all that, but this adventure has definitely been one big trial after another. But the fact is that I could overcome all those obstacles to come here today. And this adventure of mine isn't over yet. I fully intend to keep traveling this path, to keep delving further into the unknown. If you are playing back this recording and listening to my voice now, you must be another adventurer who has overcome the challenges to reach this spot. And if you are, then you must be feeling it… The same thrill of exploring what lies beyond—in uncharted territory! What I am about to see… And what you will soon discover… They may be the same thing, or they may be completely different. But regardless of what is waiting for us up ahead, the heart-pounding thrill that wells up inside of us…that will never change! So I'm off! I wish the best to you, fellow adventurer who might be listening to this message! … … …'

"That seems to be the end of it," I said.

"I'm sure of it. That voice was Keldeo's. The Keldeo that I knew… The bright and friendly Keldeo… The way he used to be…" Virizion said tearfully.

"So Keldeo actually made it…to the Great Glacier. But I don't get it. What was the meaning of that letter he sent you? 'The truth is that I never even intended to go to the Great Glacier. I just wanted an excuse to get away from you. We aren't friends anymore. Just forget about me.' Isn't that what he said in his letter? But if Keldeo really did come to the Great Glacier, could that letter have been a fake?" Umbreon wondered.

"No. The hoofwriting in that letter…it was definitely Keldeo's. I think that letter was real," Virizon said.

"The Keldeo who speaks in this Frism and the Keldeo who sent you that letter… No matter who I look at it, they seem like two totally different Pokémon," Silvy noted.

"But if both of them are the real Keldeo, then it must've been after recording this Frism that Keldeo changed…" I added.

"…That's it. He changed after seeing whatever lies ahead..." Silvy said as she stared at the path leading further in.

If something did happen to Keldeo, then the truth…might be straight ahead of us.

"If we continue on our path, we may just discover the truth. Will you be alright, Virizion?"

"Yes. Thank you, Espeon. I'll be fine. I'm sorry for making you all worry. Let's go ahead," Virizon said resolutely.

"How is everyone doing?" I asked.

Everyone was resting and responded saying they were alright. Only Virizion seemed to have a distant look as she stared at the ground, lost in thought.

"Do you think we'll find Keldeo?" Dunsparce asked.

"Hard to say, but I do think we'll find some sort of clue about him," I said.

"I wish there was something we could say to Virizon…" Silvy said.

"She'll be okay. Anything we say may just make her feel worse," I commented.

"But look at her, she's lost in between hope and fear," Espeon interjected.

"Shin is right, though. Any hope we try to instill may raise her hopes and then crush her if we find neither Keldeo nor clues of his whereabouts," Umbreon argued.

"I think it's still worth a try. We can't just leave her like this. We're her friends after all," Silvy insisted.

At this simple revelation everyone couldn't help but lower their gaze in shame. We had forgotten the value of friendship in an attempt to shelter Virizion. As friends, we had to believe in each other and at least try to help each other.

"OK, Silvy. You seem to understand much better than the rest of us, so why not comfort her? I don't think any us could reach her like you can."

"Is it okay, Shin?"

"I think we can all agree that you are the better choice. After all, we tried to dissuade saying something to her."

"OK! I'll talk to her then."

Silvy began walking towards Virizion and Espeon sat down to take Silvy's spot.

"Do you think they'll be alright, Shin?"

"I think so. Silvy understands how valuable a friend can be. She is, after all, the one who got through to her in the beginning. If anyone can cheer her up, it's her."

"You have such faith in her."

"I do. She's helped many Pokémon, even me. Silvy is very dear to me err…dear to all of us in Paradise. None of it was possible without her."

"Hehehe. She really is appreciated by all of us."

Espeon was only teasing, but it was true that we all appreciated her efforts. After Silvy spent some time cheering up Virizion, everyone had rested enough to continue forward. With renewed spirit, Virizion asked to lead everyone forward and we happily accepted. She took out any Pawniard and Zorua that came before us and we supported her when Tirtouga stood before us.

It wasn't long until we came upon an empty room that acted as a rest area. We decided to take a quick breather before resuming our march.

"Hah..hah...I think we're getting close to the top. Though it really is starting to get harder to breathe," Dunsparce said.

Dunsparce was having difficulty breathing but he wasn't letting that slow anyone down. As I sat down to rest my feet, I took note of everyone's expression.

Strange. Everyone looks fatigued and have difficulty breathing. Everyone. Even Vrizion is showing signs of weariness, though she's trying not to let it show. But why aren't I tired? I mean, I'm just resting my feet but my breathing is normal and relaxed. Something is wrong here and I'm the only one not affected. Why is that…?

I didn't have much time to think about why I was different as Virizion said we had rested enough and asked us to press on. The path eventually led us outside once more. The top of the glacier wasn't that far above us so we had definitely traveled a good distance above ground.

"Seems we're really close to our destination," I said.

"How can you tell, Shin?" Silvy asked.

"Look at this arch. Look how detailed and grandiose it is. Haven't you noticed that the higher we've climbed, the less ruined the pillars are? Compare this arch and pillars to the ones we saw where we first entered,"

"Now that he mentions it, these pillars look almost as if they were sculpted today. Nothing seems to be broken or fractured," Virizon noted.

"If that's the case, then we can't be far from whatever treasure is up ahead!" Dunsparce elated.

"Then we must hurry on then," Espeon encouraged.

"I hope the Great Crystal really is at the end of our journey," Umbreon hoped.

Everyone had renewed energy from speculating about what it was waiting for us beyond this arch. Virizion took the lead and guided us through the arch.

"…Huh? Everything suddenly got dark. Everybody alright?" Silvy yelled.

"Yeah, we're fine," Umbreon responded.

"I'm alright, too," echoed Virzion. But…"

Grrrrrrn grrrrrrn.

"Uh… What was that?" Dunsparce said nervously.

Grrrrrrn grrrrrrrn.

"It sounds like…something being dragged along…" Espeon concluded.

"Everyone… Watch out!" I cried.

"Waaaaaah!" Dunsparce cried in surprise and terror.

"I-it's huge! What is it? What is this thing?!" Umbreon said, more surprised than afraid.

"It's a Golurk! That noise must have come from this Pokémon's feet dragging along the ice!

Just as we were recoiling from the shock of Golurk's, the Automaton Pokémon, imposing size and appearance, Espeon quickly turned to see more foe's approaching us from behind.

"They've got us surrounded!"

A couple of Cryogonal, the Crystallizing Pokémon, had snuck up behind us and, along with Golurk, had boxed us in in a triangle formation. All three of these adversaries were leering at us in a menacing way, advertising their intentions.

"Here they come!" Silvy warned.

ROOOOOWAAAARRRRR!

Golurk's bellowing challenge reverberated within the chamber we were trapped in. Stalagmites, sprouting from all directions, were shaken. Great pillars, outlining the room, resisted the shaking of the air while at the same time seeming to restrain the stalagmites from sprouting beneath our feet. The entire room quaked beneath that voice that rang a challenge. All of us had to cover our ears in order to prevent us from losing our hearing.

As if the ending of the roar was the signal to begin the fight, the Cryogonal made the first move. Given their deep blue coloring and their form of a snowflake, they were obviously of the Ice type and attacked by using Icy Wind. Their beads that seemed to indicate where their mouth supposedly was swayed as cold wind was blown from behind us, causing everyone to scatter and avoid being caught in the blizzard.

Dunsparce and I landed near each other; Umbreon and Silvy were side by side when they landed; Espeon and Virizion were behind each other as we all faced the enemies before us.

"Umbreon and Silvy! Quickly go to Golurck and distract it. The rest of us will handle the Cryogonal!"

""Right!""

Everybody agreed to the division and answered in a united yell. Since Golurk was both a Ground and Ghost type, I sent the two that would have the greater advantage against our giant adversary. Only Virizion had a slight advantage against the Cryogonal but we still stood on equal footing besides that. The four of us charged at the Cryogonal and this sudden charge caused the Cryogonal to flinch from the sheer intensity we gave off as we approached them rapidly.

"Dunsparce! Dig underground!"

"I'm on it!"

Taking my cue, Dunsparce began to dig underground and wait for an opportunity to strike. I knew Ground type moves would have no effect on Cryogonal due to its Levitation ability but there was a way to go around it. Sending out a Thunder Wave, Cryogonal's movement was restricted. Taking this chance, I jumped into the air and shot out an Electro Ball. The force of impact slammed Cryogonal onto the floor long enough for Dunpsarce to emerge and resend Cryogonal into the air. No moment was wasted as I was falling back to the floor. I kicked Dunsparce into his Rollout move and then he slammed Cryogonal into a stalagmite, breaking it and leaving it unconscious.

Virizion and Espeon themselves were having trouble landing any hits on their Cryogonal. Cryogonal must have known that letting Virizion get in close to deliver a Double Kick would mean instant incapacitation so it was doing its best to keep them at arm's length. Espeon was doing her best to land hits but Crygonal would fly to evade her attacks making it difficult to approach and hit it.

"Let us help!" Dunsparce said.

He tried to immobilize Cryogonal with his Glare, but Cryogonal dodged the line of sight and narrowly avoided being paralyzed.

"Everyone, keep him occupied for a few moments! I have an idea!" Espeon cried.

""OK!"" "Understood!"

Virizion, Dunsparce and I tried our best to keep Cryogonal's attention as Espeon crouched down and focused on an attack. I didn't know what it was Espeon was trying to do, but all I could do was believe in her.

"Watch out!" I yelled.

I pushed Dunsparce out of the way when I saw Cryogonal release an Ice Beam at him. I managed to push him away, but…

"Argh!"

My left foot was caught and frozen in place. I tried my best to release it but it wouldn't budge. Cryogonal did not miss this chance to finish the job and unleashed another Ice Beam.

"Shin!"

Dunsparce moved quickly and got in between me and the attack, taking the damage. The attack made him lose his balance and that gave the attack the chance to launch him into pillar. By some fortunate chance, the Ice Beam did not freeze him over but did leave a burn on the impact sight.

"Dunsparce!" I yelled helplessly.

"No!" Virizion cried angrily.

Vrizion began charging at Cryogonal but Dunsparce's voice snapped her out of her rage.

"I'm OK! I was just knocked out for a bit. Don't count me out yet! Help Shin, Virizion!"

"Yes…"

Virizion was glad and surprised that Dunsparce was okay so she only agreed weakly. She quickly came to her senses and came next to me. Using her Double Kick's strength, she smashed the ice binding me and I was set free.

"Thanks."

"Thank Dunsparce for giving this opportunity."

"Everyone, keep Cryogonal in one place. When I yell, get out of the way!"

Espeon's voice brought us back to reality and we nodded at each other as we rushed to help Dunsparce. It was three against one as we surrounded Cryogonal. Cryogonal could not decide who to target as he readied an Ice Beam. Deciding to hit us all from above, Cryogonal was about to rise into the air when,

"Now!"

All of us jumped away from Cryogonal and this caught him off guard and left it rooted for a moment. That moment was all she needed as her attack was unleashed. Invisible force attacked Crygonal and the sheer force grounded and incapacitated him. This was Espeon's Future Sight. Future Sight allowed the user to predict a Psychic type attack that hit its target from virtually nowhere at a later time. After casting Future Sight, Espeon could have returned and helped as the attack only required the user to cast it and nothing more. It was the move itself that determined at what point in time to attack. She must have cast multiple Future Sights in order to be sure she wouldn't miss or her staying was to prevent Cryogonal from attracting his attention and nullifying her attack.

"Let's go and help Silvy and Umbreon!" I said.

We ran towards where Umbreon and Sivly were battling Golurk. Judging from their tired expressions, they were struggling against Golurk's might. We arrived not a moment too soon.

"Shin! Thank goodness you're safe…" Silvy said, relieved.

"I'm okay Silvy, we'are all OK. How are you two doing?"

"Not good. Nothing we throw at it seems to inflict significant damage," Umbreon responded.

"That cant' be right. You two have a type advantage. He's a Gohost and Ground type. As suh, a Grass and Dark type should be able to deal damage!" I said, confused.

"If this is true, then this Pokémon is quite the adversary to withstand critical blows," Virizion observed.

"Do you have any suggestions, Shin? You seem to be well versed in this giant Pokémon," Espeon asked.

I may have revealed too much of myself, but it can't be helped. We'll need to work together if we're to defeat it.

"I don't necessarily have a plan. I just know its weaknesses. If we focus our attacks while evading's its responses, then we should be able to defeat it. Between the five of us, there's no way we can lose."

"That's right! We're Team Starlight!" Dunsparce cheered.

"He's right."

"Indeed."

"Hehehe. We'll absolutely do it."

"Shin and Dunsparce are right! Who are we?"

""Team Starlight!""

Our team cheer raised morale and reenergized for the fight against Golurk. Following my instructions everyone began by evading Golurk's moves and attempting to surround it. If we couldn't evade, then some of us would intercept by drawing Golurk's attention in order to redirect the attack. This strategy kept us from incurring damage and allowed us to inflict at the same time.

Even still, Golurk was still an imposing Pokémon to gaze at and fight. Standing at nearly 3 meters tall he resembled a gigantic golem. Its head was morbidly smaller than the rest of its body and its eyes looked to be painted on like the same cream colored markings on its on arms and torso. The earth colored armlets were located on its arms and legs while a simple bandage shaped strap was on its chest as if placed as a last thought.

Despite being tall and big, it could still move swiftly due to its abilities deriving from being part Ghost type. To emphasize its Ghost attributes, Golurk punched vainly in the air but the fist suddenly turned dark and a ghostly fist shot out seeking a target.

"Look out!"

Umbreon noticed that the fist was heading straight towards Espeon despite her best efforts to avoid it. Umbreon pushed Espeon out of the way right before it was about to make contact and took the brunt of the blow.

"Umbreon!"

Espeon quickly rushed to his side as he recovered from the blow.

"Don't worry, Espeon. It didn't hurt as much as you think. I'm a Dark type, after all."

"Yes, even so I'm still relieved."

Relieved to see he was OK, Espeon regained her focus and attacked using her Psybeam. The damage only made Golurk angrier.

"RROOOOWAAARRR!"

Its rage was bellowed out for all to hear and after finishing, Golurk raised both its arms as if going to slam the ground.

"This isn't good…!"

My fears came true as Golurk slammed the ground with both his fists, causing an earthquake. All of us were thrown off our balance and fell awkwardly to the ground. Pieces of the ceiling fell on our heads and only increased the damage taken from Golurk's Magnitude attack.

"Don't let him use Magnitude again! Any more uses and the ceiling can fall on us! Even the ground can collapse beneath us!" I warned.

Sensing the urgency in my voice, everyone knew how dangerous it was to let Golurk smash the ground.

"Virizion! Let's attack it together!"

Silvy signaled Virizon to attack in unison and they both unleashed a Leaf Tornado and Magical Leaf respectively. Golurk raised its arms defensively but could not absorb all of the damage safely. Using this brief window of where Golurk was defending Espeon unleashed her Psybeam and managed to catch Golurk from behind. As Golurk staggered forward, Umbreon sprang forth from his position and attacked using Faint Attack. Again, Golurck was caught off guard and this time staggered forward. Dunsparce did not miss his chance and used Rollout to finally push Golurk over and it fell on its bottom, becoming vulnerable.

"This is it! Attack together!" I cried.

Everyone was preparing to attack in unison when it became dark once more. In an instant the room went completely dark and then was lit once more. Everyone was here…except our opponents had disappeared.

"Is everyone OK?" I asked

"Yeah, looks like we aren't too badly hurt," Silvy said.

"Phew… Looks like we managed to scare them off," Umbreon declared.

We all nodded at his statement. Just as we were beginning to relax, a very cold breeze blew in the room.

"Was that…wind?" Espeon asked.

"Wind? In here? This dome is completely covered in ice… Meaning we're basically indoors, right? So how can there be wind?" Umbreon pondered.

"Well, even if it is a dome, look at the size of it. Maybe it's natural that there's some air movement?" I voiced.

"I felt it, too. That wind. It was just a faint breeze, but…" Silvy began.

"A-and me! I felt like it was blowing toward the path ahead…" Dunsparce said.

"Then I'd say that path leads to the peak," Umbreon deduced.

"If we keep climbing up this path, maybe we'll find something. Let's check it out," Silvy said.

Everyone agreed and we all began walking towards the opening in front of us. It wasn't long before Dunsparce once again showed signs of fatigue.

"Hah… Hah… Hah… Hah…"

His breathing was getting heavier and heavier until he had finally collapsed.

"Dunsparce! You OK?" Silvy said.

"…Yeah. I'll be fine. Sorry for holding everyone up," Dunsparce reassured.

Dunsparce tried his best to reassure everyone with a smile. We could only accept his response, despite the reality of his condition. He didn't want to hold everyone up from reaching our goal so he was doing his best to press forward. We would only betray his bravery if we gave up, so we pressed on.

"Hah… Hah…"

"Hah… Hah…"

"Wheeze… Wheeze… Aren't we…there yet?"

Just like Dunsparce everyone else were beginning to show signs of difficulty breathing. I should be just like them, but I wasn't.

That's odd. Why is everyone suddenly out of breath?

"Virizion!"

Virizion had also succumbed to exhaustion as she, too, collapsed just like Dunsparce.

"E-everyone!"

Following Virizion, everyone else was also collapsing from exhaustion.

"Why is it…so hard to get any air… Why…" Espeon thought feebly.

"I don't…know… Shin… You're…OK?" Silvy asked weakly.

"Yes, I am."

"That's…great… But no one else…can seem to move…"

"You've got to be…kidding me… We finally made it this far…only to…" Umbreon said in frustration.

"But…it's too… I just…can't…" Espeon began.

Everyone then suddenly passed out.

"Everyone!" I cried out.

Everyone had passed out leaving me to only watch helplessly.

"Wh-what should I—"

The hallway had also begun to lose light just as I was panicking on what to do, only adding to my anxiety.

"And now it's suddenly gone dark?!"

I looked around in a panic, wondering what to do when suddenly light began to return. I couldn't even feel relieved about that as my ears caught the wind making noises. That noise was coming directly above and what I saw terrified me.

"Ahhh!"

Crash

The ground quaked as the Pokémon before me landed from unknown heights. This Pokémon had a fearsome visage as it stood staring at me with its yellow eyes devoid of pupils. His body took the shape of a mighty T-Rex of prehistoric times with steel colored skin and deformed pale blue wings protruding from his back. Icicles were coming out from the ends of his wings indicating the wings themselves were as stiff as ice. His tail seemed to be missing but in fact was only a small stump only to inform the viewer of its former length and girth. He began to arch back and then his dragon shaped head opened his mouth to let out an ear piercing roar. The V shaped horns with a yellow stripe down the middle even seemed to shake at his majesty. Yes, this fearsome Pokémon was known as Kyurem.

He-he's huge! Is he an enemy?! Not now! Not when everyone is-! Fine! I'll take him on alone if I have to!

I took a determined stance, against his presence. As if noticing my defiance, Kyurem let out another powerful roar. This roar seemed to send the small amounts of snow covering the ice rushing forth. The snow then began to turn into a miniature blizzard as it blinded me.

"Ahhh!"

The world then turned completely white. I thought I was trapped underneath the snow he blew towards me until I opened my eyes. What I saw was the room where we fought the Cryogonal and Golurk. Somehow or another Kyurem transported me back to the room. Everyone else was behind me as well, still unconscious.

"Wh-where-?!"

"Mm… Ugh…"

Silvy started to let out moans, indicating she was beginning to wake up.

"…Silvy!"

Then everyone else began to stand once more, albeit with some effort.

Everyone is-!

"Isn't this…where we were fighting before?" Umbreon asked, confused.

Could he…have saved everyone?!

"Y-you… Who are you?" Espeon questioned.

"I am the one called Kyurem. I am he who is master of this place."

Everyone had shocked expressions at this revelation.

"K-Kyurem?!" Virizion gasped.

"The Kyurem…known since the ancient past? THAT Kyurem?!" Umbreon said in amazement.

"The path you seek is one that none may tread. You cannot approach that forbidden place."

"Forbidden?" I asked.

"A great power fills that place. A power even I cannot approach. I have foreseen your coming. The moment you entered that place you would have become unable to return."

"W-wait… You said you'd 'foreseen' us… You mean…you knew we were coming here? Even before we did?" Silvy asked.

"That is correct. I know the coming of all things. What happens in every land… What fate awaits the world… All of this is known to me. And here, here in this Glacier Palace… …I have watched over that future…since days long gone and forgotten."

This Pokémon… This Kyurem…can see the future? And the fate of the entire world?!

"The path ahead is closed to you. There is no further adventure for you here. Turn back," Kyurem said grimly.

"…Alright. We weren't prepared. I never thought we would be wiped out so easily. I give my word. I won't try to go any farther. But in return…would you tell me one thing? The Great Crystal… Does it truly lie ahead?" Umbreon asked tentatively.

"…It does. It is the power you call the Great Crystal…that makes the objects in this Glacier Palace float."

"That's all I needed to know. Thank you," Umbreon said.

"Please let me ask one more thing. I think…a Pokémon called Keldeo may have come here…" Virzion asked worriedly.

"…He did not."

"What? He never got here?!" Silvy said, surprised.

"You are the first Pokémon to have come from the outside and made it this far."

"… … …"

"Enough."

That was all he said before crying another powerful roar. In an instant, he had disappeared in a flash of blinding light. In his place lay a large chest. Although his physical presence had vanished, his voice still echoed within this room.

"You have done well to overcome so many trials and come so far. Your effort is worth of praise. Before you lies your reward. Take what you find within and go."

Another roar shook the room and when it ended, the room lay silent. This probably meant he had left to some other part of the palace.

"But… If Keldeo never made it this far… What could have happened to him?" Silvy wondered.

"Whatever it was, it must have happened somewhere between here…and the spot where we found that Frism," Espeon theorized.

"I was so sure Keldeo made it here… I mean, he was strong enough to get through the Great Glacier all by himself!" Dunsparce said.

"So what could have…" Umbreon began.

"That's enough."

"Virizion…" Silvy said.

"I know it's odd that Keldeo never came this far, but… Speculating about it isn't going to give us any answers. And the message we heard from the Frism that Keldeo left… It still doesn't change the letter he sent me."

"Virizion…" Espeon said disappointingly.

"No, Espeon. It's not what you're thinking. I'm not just giving up. You don't need to worry. But along the way here today… I realized something. The voice from that Frism… That voice was undoubtedly Keldeo's. The Keldeo who wrote that letter may have been cruel, but…the Keldeo who spoke those words hadn't changed at all. When I relized that, I finally noticed… Ever since I got that letter from Keldeo… Ever since I read those words… …I stopped believing that there was any such thing as a real friend. But the one who first planted that doubt in my heart… It wasn't Keldeo. It wasn't anyone else. The one responsible for that doubt in my heart…was…me. I'm the one who lost hope after seeing that letter. I'm the one who decided to give up after reading it…and I'm the one who made myself into the bitter Virizion you first met. There are still a lot of questions that I don't have answers to. Maybe I'll find the truth somewhere else someday. But that's why I've decided…that I'm going to try believing again…you know?"

""Virizion!"" Silvy and I said happily.

"I've been so miserable to everyone for so long. But meeting you all…and being able to come here together… It helped me remember how it feels to trust other Pokémon. That is all thanks to you here. I'm so grateful to you all. Thank you… Thank you so much…"

Overcome by her words, Virizion began to weep. All of us were happy at Virizion's revelation. We were glad she had finally overcame the darkness in her heart.

"That's wonderful, Virizion!" Dunsparce cheered.

"Yeah. We're glad to have you on the team! Virizion's breakthrough alone is enough to call this adventure a great success, I'd say!" Silvy said cheerfully.

"I agree. Plus, we made it through the Great Glacier! And we learned some fascinating things about its insides!" I said happily.

"I most certainly agree, Shin!" Espeon joined.

"I got to see a castle made out of ice! I guess they called it the Glacier Palace, huh?" Dunsparce added.

"And I got to confirm that the Great Crystal really does exist. Though I would've really like to see it for myself…" Umbreon said.

"The Frisms were definitely the big success for me! My Frism is gonna be my greatest treasure from now on!" Silvy declared.

"And we're gonna give one to Emolga, too!" Dunsparce said.

"Of course! He'll love it!"

"Emolga sure is going to have fun with his Frism," I said wryly.

"Now all that's left…"

Umbreon had gathered our attention and motioned towards the chest.

"…is to find out what's in that Treasure Box…and head home, huh?"

"Yup. And we should do it fast. We don't want to make Kyurem mad at us! Shin? Why don't you open the Treasure Box? Go on." Silvy said.

"You want me to do it? Is that alright with everyone?

""Yes.""

"By all means."

"Please."

"I don't particularly mind."

With everyone's blessing, I walked towards the chest and opened it.

"Wow!"

Silvy's eyes were sparkling as she saw what the contents of the Treasure Box were. Inside was a Life Seed, a Protein bottle, five Silver Spikes, a Black Key, a Gold Scope, and five thousand Poké dollars.

"Woo-hoo! What a haul!" Dunsparce yelled excitedly.

"Not bad! Now it's time to head home," Umbreon said.

"Yeah! Everyone… This is it! Our adventure to the Great Glacier…is officially over!" Silvy declared.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Now we'll take our treasures… And we'll take our memories…and go home to Paradise!"

Silvy then turned to me but was still talking to everybody.

"Our first big adventure is… A GREAT SUCCESSSSSS!"

""YEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!"""

And that was how…the curtain closed on our adventure to the Great Glacier. We all returned to Paradise. And waiting there for us were all the Pokémon of Post Town and our dear friends from Paradise. Everyone was eager to hear our stories of what we had seen at the Great Glacier. And so that night, everyone from the town packed into the inn's restaurant and stayed until morning, full of cheer and excitement, whiling away the night with tales of travel and treasures.


	11. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

The next morning…well more like the afternoon, we woke up from a long night of celebration. The previous night's excitement had drained just about every ounce of energy we had in us. Oversleep was something anyone would approve of.

"…Morning…Shin… Last night was a blast, but… So tired… Maybe we stayed up too late partying, but we can't just lie around all day, right? Let's give it our all again today… Yawn…"

"Yawn… Do we really have to? I think sleeping would be definitely OK with everyone else. "

"No no. Let's not waste this day. Every day has to be full of adventure. Otherwise… yawn… we're not seizing the day."

"I think you're body says otherwise, Silvy."

"Well I'm going out regardlessof what I want. And you're coming with me!"

"Aww… Alright, you win. Let's get on with our day then."

"Hehehe. That's right."

I really didn't have the energy to argue today after last night. Perhaps the outdoors would wake me up. With that set, we went outside for another adventure.

"Heeey! Silvy!"

When we got outside, we heard Emolga's voice calling for Silvy.

"Huh? Was that…Emolga?"

"But he's nowhere to be seen…"

"Heeey! I'm over here! This way!"

"Huh? The voice is coming from over there?" I wondered.

"That's it! He's behind the house! Let's go!" Silvy said.

We went towards the back of our home, but he wasn't there.

"Heehee, you're getting colder! I'm over here!"

"Now he's on the other side?!"

"It's like he's running around in circles! Is he just messing with us?"

"Running in circles, you say? Hohoho, that would be tough. But that's not exactly what's going on here, if you know what I mean! How about this? Hahahahahahah!"

His voice was first coming from the other side of our house but then switched to the front. Then he started laughing from behind the house once more.

"Heheheheheheh! Hohohohohoho!"

His voice then proceeded to appear to be coming from everywhere as different laughs could be heard. It was virtually impossible to determine where Emolga really was.

"Gah! Emolga's everywhere! It's like we're surrounded by 'em!" Silvy said, surprised.

"Hehehe! Do you give up? This is my ultra-secret ultimate move: the Emolga Multiplier! Bwahahahah!"

I knew something like this would happen the moment Emolga received his Frism, I thought wryly.

"Grr! When did you learn such an awesome move, huh? Were you doing some kind of special training while we were away at the glacier?"

It was clear that Silvy had still not realized how Emolga was doing this. It was cute in its own way how Silvy was flustered by this.

"Bwahahahaha! Bwaaahahahaha!"

I've already figured it out, but…

I started walking around looking for the object in question. Silvy was left grumbling until she noticed me walking away.

"Oh! Shin! Where're you going?"

She quickly followed after me as I circled the house.

"And here's what I was looking for."

"There's a Frism back here!" Silvy remarked.

The frozen part of the Frism was producing sounds and the voice was plain to see.

'How'd you like my ultimate Emolga Multiplier move, huh? Bwahahaha!'

"Emolga's voice is coming out of it… So that means…"

"That's right. He's using these to make us believe there are multiple copies of himself. See? Here's another one."

I pointed out the next Frism that was on the west side of the house. We walked back to the entrance only to discover Emolga setting up his next Frism.

"How about it? You ready to bow down to my awesomeness? It's a total mystery, right? Bet you can't even begin to guess how it's done, right? Bwahahahahahaha!"

"…Hey."

I called out to Emolga and the voice startled him into turning around.

"Shin! S-S-Silvy! …H-h-how's it going?"

"Oh, just great… NOT! What d'you think you're doing?!" Silvy demanded.

"N…no, I just… You know, the Frisms you brought me are just so great and so much fun, so… I was thinking about some of the ways I could use 'em…and I needed a little test… B-but the important thing is, it was all made possible by you guys conquering the Great Glacier! Wow! That sure was awesome! You're just the best! Hahahahaha!"

"Nice save, Emolga," I said with a wry smile.

"Why, you… But thanks. We only got to go on that adventure because you stayed behind for us, Emolga."

"Hehe! You don't have to tell me."

"Oh, yeah… Speaking of that… Did anything happen while we were away? Anything interesting?"

"Interesting? Hmm… Oh! There was one thing… We saw some lights floating up, from time to time."

"Some lights were floating?" I asked.

"Yeah. We could see these balls of light floating high up into the sky from way far away. I asked Herdier and he said he'd never seen anything like it here before. Everyone was wondering what in the world they could be, but… No one really knows, right?"

"Balls of light, huh?"

"Yeah, you could see 'em really well from up on the hill. They were appearing pretty often… So I bet you guys will see one, too, sooner or later. That's about it. There was nothing else special while you were gone. See you guys later!"

Emolga began to quickly abscond from his coming scolding but stopped all of a sudden.

"Whoops! Nearly forgot my Frisms!"

He rushed back for the Frism he was currently talking to and then went midway to the other one before saying,

"S-see ya…"

He awkwardly said his good-bye and grabbed his Frism as he went towards Paradise.

"Emolga sure is quite the little troublemaker, huh?" Silvy commented.

"That's true," I agreed.

"But I'm glad he liked our present at least! And the Frisms really are fun. Mine is definitely my favorite treasure."

"Yeah, they are fun… but I don't think that's why he did this. Emolga probably wanted to show us that he was happy, too."

"Yeah, you're right Shin. Alright then… It's about time we head out, wouldn't you say? We're back to normal life as of today! Time to check out the ol' Request Board and work on developing Paradise! Let's give it our all!"

"You bet!"

After another day's adventure, we had turned in for the night. Today we had to deliver an item to a Pokémon that was out in a dungeon. The simple delivery made for an easy job but it still paid nonetheless. I think Silvy only picked it because she, too, did not want to overexert herself when she was still sleepy.

The dream in my sleep had become colorful and bright once more. Yes, it was the same dream once more.

… … … …Th…this is… This looks like one of those dreams… I haven't had one in so long… Is that…Is that a voice?

"Shin…you…you…hear me? Shin?"

Whoa! It's much clearer than last time! Just a little more… Just let me dream… a little longer…

Sadly, it didn't happen. Try as I may, my dream began to fade slowly but surely. The voice did not say anything more until finally I woke up.

"Morning, Shin! …Huh? You seem a little out of it today. Oh! Did you have another one of those dreams of yours?"

"Yeah, I did…"

"So you did… Sure has been a while, huh?"

I began to explain what had happened in my dream. I told her about the voice and how it had become much clearer than before.

"What? So basically the voice keeps getting clearer and clearer, right? …Shin! Then that means… I knew it… You just needed to get in sync with each other or whatever! And if that's the case, then you should definitely be able to hear that voice load and clear soon!

"Maybe you're right. I keep waking up before I can hear much, but… I did feel this time like I was so close to hearing what she had to say…"

"It'll be okay. Once you know who that Pokémon is who's calling for help, we'll go save her at once. I'll go along, too, of course! I want to know, too, after all…why you were called to this world. So let me help you out with this!"

"Yes, thank you Silvy. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Silvy only gave a smile to my thanks and we both walked out the door for another day of work.

"Hey, Shin? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"You know, ever since you told me about your dream, I've been thinking… I still don't know why you got turned into a Pokémon, Shin… But I guess it must mean you have some sort of role to play here. I think that's why you came to this world. So you've got to find out what it is you're meant to do…and you've got to see it through to the end. But when you do… When you finish everything you came here to do… Shin, you… …You'll probably go back to your own world, won't you? The human world?"

…Will I? I hadn't really thought about it lately… But if I'm here in the Pokémon world to complete a specific task, then I guess it makes sense that I would be sent back home afterward.

This silence felt like it went on forever. We could only stare at each other, lost for words, lost in our thoughts. Silvy finally broke the silence and said,

"You…don't know either, huh? … …Hey, Shin? If you don't know what to do, I…I… I think you should stay here forever!"

She said that with vigor and excitement that it had caught me off guard.

"What?"

"Please, Shin! Just stay here with us forever, OK?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Really?! Alriiight! Ahhh, I'm so relieved! Thanks, Shin!"

Silvy was jumping for joy at my staying here despite fulfilling my role. She really looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Oh… That was such a pure-hearted plea from Silvy that I promised without really thinking. …But really… What is it that I'm really here for? If I do have some sort of role to fulfill, then when I'm done… What happens to me?

"Thanks, Shin! Now let's get down to work!"

Today's request was a simple request that involved saving a lost Pokémon in a dungeon. Silvy decided to take two new members of Paradise in order to introduce them to Team Starlight. I approved the idea of personally teaching the newbies but once we were in the dungeon, my mind began to wander. Silvy was ahead with the other two, Zorua and Glameow. Zorua asked to join our team when we defeated him out in the Glacier Palace. Glameow, the Catty Pokémon, joined our Paradise after being defeated by Emolga's party. She resembled a simple cat with a very long spring shaped tail. The tips of her ears, her mouth, her tail and even her paws were a soft colored white while the rest of her coat was a dull grey. Apparently Emolga went on some requests as he waited for our return. He said that doing requests would not only improve Team Starlight's reputation but also help Paradise grow.

"So have you two been adjusting well in Paradise?" Silvy asked.

"I've done very well! There's so many friendly Pokémon in Paradise, that I'm never lonely! I have friends now and it's always fun to go out and do some pranking with Emolga!" Zorua voiced.

"I for one enjoy going out on adventures. It never hurts to be admired and appreciated by the Pokémon we help every day. The money we earn is also very much appreciated, meow," Glameow said coolly.

Both of their personalities had some worrisome quirks but overall they were good Pokémon in the end. They were enjoying being taught by the founders and leaders of Paradise and taking in our stories and knowledge with great pleasure.

We were halfway through the Redlands Reaches with our client not too much further ahead. The Redland Reaches was another wasteland type dungeon. Dead trees could be found littered about as well as fallen rubble. The name of this place probably came from the canyon walls that were painted with different shades of red. The ground had a desert color to it while the clouds passing by overhead darkened it.

Everyone was walking a little ahead of me as I was lost in thought.

I agreed to stay so suddenly. I didn't even think when I said yes to Silvy. Would I be selfish in wanting to stay by Silvy's side? Would I be betraying all of the children in the orphanage if I were not to come back?

These thoughts continued swirling my mind throughout the duration of this adventure.

I already knew I had taught the children of the orphanage well in taking care of themselves. After all, ultimately we wanted to be adopted. We wanted a family and a place to call home. Some of us may have been content with staying with each other in that place, but not all of us wanted to stay forever. We all wanted a family. How we defined 'family' was up to us.

Being here taught me so many things I would have never learned in the orphanage. I met new Pokémon and befriended many others. I never felt alone in this place. Even though I had everyone back home, I still felt alone. No one could understand how it felt to be the oldest and viewed upon as everyone's guardian. Although I never complained, it did feel a little lonely. I raised everyone to able to take care of themselves in case something was to happen to me. Would I be wrong in wanting to stay here? Here every day was an adventure. Everybody helped each other in order to accomplish a goal. I may have arrived here alone, but it was her that took my hand and led me to this point. How would she feel if I were to just leave? Would she be able to continue without me? She has so many others here, so would she miss me?

Too many questions and too few answers kept plagued me. Noticing the distance between us, Silvy turned around and walked over to me.

"Shin? What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Well, maybe I'm just a little tired."

"Are you sure? Then let's finish up this request and get home quickly."

"Will you be alright, Shin? We're almost to where the client is," Zorua encouraged.

"Yes. Let's not quit now. Think about the reward and the stares of admiration you'll receive. Use that as a motive to move faster, meow," Glameow said.

They all tried to reassure me in their own way so I could not let them down.

"Alright, you guys. I can't look uncool in front of the newbies, so let's press on!"

""Yeah!""

We hurried towards the area the client listed he was lost in. It didn't take us long before we found him sitting nervously. We then greeted the client, much to his relief, and we all transported back to Paradise Center.

The next morning began like all the others. This time, however, Emolga was waiting for us outside with news.

"Hey! Nice timing!"

"What's up?" Silvy asked.

"Remember I told you before about those strange lights that keep appearing? You can see one of 'em now if you want."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah. You can see it from the hill. I just came from there. You two should go check it out."

"Thanks, we will! Let's go, Shin!"

"Mm."

The both of us said our thanks and goodbyes to Emolga as we both ran towards the top of the plateau in Post Town. Once there, we found Ducklett and Rufflet staring out into the distance.

"Huh… But what could it be, really?" Ducklett wondered.

"Who knows? I've got no idea, man," Rufflet answered.

"Looks like we're not the first ones," Silvy commented.

We both walked up towards the ledge where Ducklett and Rufflet were and peered out in the direction they were looking.

"So… Where's this light supposed to…" I began.

"Over there! There it is, right there! Shin, look! There! See it? There's a huge ball of light!" Silvy pointed out.

"I see it! A ball of light floating off in the distance..."

"… … But it…doesn't really look like it's moving, does it? Emolga said he saw balls of light floating up into the sky, but—"

"He was telling the truth," Ducklett interrupted, "That light is definitely going up."

"It's just real slow. It's so slow that it looks like it's practically frozen, see?" Rufflet said.

"Hmm… Well, it is pretty…and it's definitely mysterious," Silvy observed.

"Yeah, it's pretty. It is…but…"

"Hm? But what?" I probed.

"N-naw, nothing… I mean, I'm probably just overthinking things… But I've lived in this town my whole life. And I have never seen anything like that before. Not once. And now these things keep showing up—and pretty often, too… It just makes me kinda…uneasy," Rufflet explained.

"Uneasy?" Silvy asked.

"Yeah. Folks are always saying stuff, right? Like it's a bad omen or something. The more mysterious and strange things that happen… I can't help feeling like it's some kinda sign of bad things to come. I hope we're just worrying for no reason, but…" Ducklett explained, uneasily.

A sign…of bad things to come…

These words rang in my head with an ominous feeling.

Those lights…somehow…I feel like they're special…I feel odd when I look at them now…like there's a connection between my purpose and those lights…

The ominous feeling even extended to the lights. Things looked grim according to Ducklett but in the end, there really was no basis for it. I, too, hoped that they are worrying for no reason.

"In any case, thinking about it won't get me anywhere… We might as well focus on our jobs for the day!"

Silvy's cheerful declaration brought me back to reality. She always knew how to brighten things up. She may very well be an embodiment of hope.

"Right! Let's get to work then!" I said with a smile.

"…me… Shin… …you… Can you…hear me…? Shin!"

"…Whoa! I can! I can hear you really clearly now!"

"…You can! Th-thank goodness! I finally… I finally got through to you! Shin!"

A pink Pokémon then materialized in front of me. This Pokémon was known as Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. She was rather small and was probably no bigger than an adolescent pig. She had flower patterns with purple petals on her body, a rose colored mark on her nose and ruby eyes.

"Y-you're-?! You're the one I saw being chased... So it really was you… that I saw in that vision…"

"Yes, that's right! My name is Munna!"

"You were being chased by some scary-looking Pokémon—are you OK? I mean, I can hear your voice now and everything… So you're doing OK, right?"

"…I suppose so. At least I've managed not to get caught so far…"

"Really? Well, that's good to hear! I was pretty worried, you know."

"Yes. But I'm getting so tired… Hyedreigon just doesn't give up. He keeps finding me…"

"Hydreigon? That was the Pokémon chasing you, wasn't it? He seemed pretty brutal…"

"He is. Hydreigon of the three fearsome heads… He uses those three heads to devour everything before him… He's pure destruction in Pokémon form. It's all because of him that the balance in this world has been upset. If he isn't stopped, this world will eventually be destroyed. But Hydreigon doesn't care about anything other than himself. He says if the world is destroyed, it doesn't have anything to do with him. I want to do something, but Hydreigon is so violent that I… No one can stop a monster like him. I couldn't see a way out…so I thought I might find help in the human world. I can go into people's dreams, you see. And the dream I entered… Shin… It was yours. I called out to you in desperation, Shin."

This revelation made me think back to the very beginning. The point where I was called out to in a dream and was thusly pulled into the Pokémon world.

"But just as I called out to you, Hydreigon noticed that I was trying to get help. And that's why he began chasing me."

So that's what happened… And now Munna is…

"I've been hunted mercilessly by Hydreigon ever since that night. I've somehow managed to get away from him so far, but…I'm just so tired… It won't be long now before I…"

"…Alright. Tell me where you are now, Munna."

"Wha-? Y-you… you mean you'll help me?!" Munna said, surprised.

"Of course. After all, you're the one who brought me here," I said reassuringly.

"Th…thank you, Shin! I'm at the base of Mount Kilionea now. It's a volcano in the middle of a forest. I'm sorry to ask, but…please help me!"

Munna then jumped up suddenly, visibly started.

"No! H-he's found me! I have to run! I'm sorry! I have to cut off the dream now! Good-bye!"

"Gahhhhh! Hah… Hah…"

The dream being cut caused me to scream out. This woke me up and left me out of breath. Taking a few moments to compose myself, I found myself standing, full of cold sweat.

… … … Silvy… She's still asleep… But…at least I could finally see everything clearly. It's just like Silvy said. I guess we finally got on the same wavelength. But I've gotta remember everything. Let's see… Munna's the one who needs help… And the one chasing Munna is…Hydreigon. Right now, Munna is at the base of some volcano called Mount Kilionea… And…I'm the one she asked to help her. I came to this world because her voice seemed to pull me here. It made me happy when Silvy said she would go with me, but… But this is really my problem. I don't want to drag my friends into danger, especially Silvy. So I feel like I should go alone… But… Munna said Hydreigon is upsetting the balance of the whole world. She said he's going to destroy everything. All of the Pokémon are feeling uneasy about the future… Maybe that feeling has something to do with this Hydreigon. Then this isn't just my problem. It affects everyone.

I turned to gaze at Silvy. She was sleeping so peacefully. She even looked to be having a pleasant dream with that smile on her face.

When morning comes, I… I'll have to talk with Silvy, and with everyone.

"What? WHAAAT?!" Dunsparce yelled.

"Shin, you-?!" Espeon gasped.

"You're not a Pokémon at all…" Umbreon began.

"…but actually a human…from the human world?!" Emolga finished.

"Dude, that is way messed up, yo!" Scraggy said.

"Hmmmm?!" Quagsire said, surprised.

"GURDUUURRRR?!"

"Ah…right…I hadn't told any of you that I'm a human yet, had I? That's got to be quite the shock… I guess maybe I should've mentioned that before telling all of you about my dreams…"

"Sorry, everybody. We didn't mean to hide it from you… But it just never seemed like the right time to say anything. Anyway, here's the story. Shin heard someone calling for help… Then got turned into a Pokémon…and ended up here in this world. That was when the two of us met. Shin didn't have anywhere to go, so I offered my house—or my land, anyway. That's how we ended up building Paradise together. Shin has been here this whole time without knowing why… And if there is any key to solving that mystery, it's… It's just got to be in these dreams. That's what Shin and I have come to think and in Shin's dream last night, that answer finally came. I know this all seems like a lot to swallow, but…"

"Well, yeah… 'Course it is. When you just suddenly throw out something like that… We'd have to be crazy to actually believe it. Right?" Scraggy said.

"He's right. I don't believe a single—" Gurdurr started.

"Oh? I believe it, though," Virizon said.

"I-I don't believe… I don't believe… I don't believe…a single one of you would not believe it! Bwahahaha!"

"Well, if our friends say it's true…" Umbreon said.

"If Shin says it's true…" Dunsparce said.

"Then we'd believe it no matter what anyone else says!" Emolga declared.

"You… You guys…" I said, left speechless.

"If this Hydreigon is really devouring everything and if that's upsetting the balance of the world… We can't just stand by and watch that happen, can we?" Espeon stated.

"Thanks, everyone! That's exactly how I feel! So I guess that decides it then! We, the Starlight…with all our strength… and all our members…are gonna back Shin up in this adventure!" Silvy yelled.

""YEAAAAAAHHH!""

"We'd better start getting ready then. Does anyone know anything about this Munna or Hydreigon?" asked Espeon.

"Not a thing. I've never heard either name before," Virizon answered.

"Hmmm… I don't know anything either, hmm?"

I timidly raised my hand to voice my mind.

"I do know some things about Munna and Hydreigon. I do know that Munna is a Psychic type while Hydreigon is a Dark and Dragon type Pokémon. From this, we can say that Munna is running away from a truly fearsome foe that can easily defeat her."

"Are you serious, Shin? Then from what you have said… That Hydreigon sounds pretty dicey. Three heads that devour anything in front of them, a brutal Pokémon that no one can stop, right? It's too horrible to even think about. It doesn't even seem like all of us together could stop him, does it?" Emolga shuddered as he spoke.

"Yeah, but this is no time to be giving up too easily either… First of all, we should focus on how to save Munna," Umbreon said.

"That's right. There's just too much we don't know about Hydreigon yet. But we have to consider even the worst outcome. If we end up being hunted by Hydreigon ourselves, we need to ensure that we don't bring disaster back to Post Town with us," Espeon warned.

"So our goal is to save Munna...without alerting Hydreigon. Once we find Munna and make sure she's safe, we'll come right back to Paradise. Then we can learn more about Hydreigon from Munna and decide how we should best fight him. Does that sound good to everyone? But if we're looking at it that way, then I suppose we shouldn't send a very large party in to go save Munna, you know? It'd draw too much attention," Virizon analyzed.

"Yeah. Shin and I will take this one alone," Silvy boldly said.

"Be careful. We don't want you to bring that dangerous Hydreigon back with you! But you can count on us to hold down the fort," Emolga said proudly.

"Come back safe, OK?" Dunsparce said.

"Thanks, Emolga and Dunsparce. We'll do our best and keep our guard up," I said reassuringly.

"Tell me again where you're headed? That Munna you talked to… She said she was at the base of Mount Kilionea, right?"

"Yes, that's right." I said.

"That's a volcano down south. It's pretty far from here," Virizon said.

"Seems like using the Entercards will be the fastest, but we'll have to think about the right combination of cards," Espeon concluded.

"You're right about that. Let's start testing at once. So Espeon and I will start thinking about how to set up the Entercards. We'll try to find a dungeon that will get you straight to the base of Mount Kilionea. It's a long way away, but finding the right Entercards shouldn't be too tough. I wouldn't expect it to take us too long. Whatever you two need to be ready go get it done," Umbreon said.

"We'll be up on the hill whenever you're good to go. Just give us the word," Espeon added.

"We will. Shin, let's hurry up and get everything set. Once we're ready, we should just head up to the hilltop," Silvy said.

"Right."

When we had gathered our supplies, we made our way towards the plateau Espeon and Umbreon were working at. We had made sure to stock up on plenty of Oran Berries, Heal Seeds, and Reviver Seeds. Since we were going to make the journey by ourselves, it was imperative that we had more than enough supplies to make the trip to Munna and back. I double checked our supplies and met up with Espeon and Umbreon, who were waiting for us.

"Hey! You all ready to go save Munna?" Umbreon asked.

"Yes," Silvy answered.

"We've already assembled the Entercards and everything. All that's left is to summon the Magnagate. It's pretty far from here to Mount Kilionea. We'll get you there, but we won't be able to get you back using the Entercards," Umbreon explained.

"I think it'll be a long road home. You'd better be prepared for that possibility. You sure you're OK?" warned Espeon.

"Yes. We're ready," I said resolutely.

"Alright! Then let's get this Magnagate open!" Umbreon declared.

Once more, Espeon and Umbreon placed the cards in their symmetric position and the world suddenly grew dark as the gate opened. The vortex swirled and expelled light, as if enticing viewers to enter its midst.

"Alright. Everything looks good here," Umbreon assessed.

"Shin, Silvy… We're ready for you," Espeon said.

"Thanks, Umbreon. And you, too, Espeon," I said gratefully.

"Well then everybody… I guess we'll be off," I said.

I was bidding farewell to our friends who had come to see us off.

"Hold down the fort while we're gone, OK?" Silvy ordered.

"Yeah, and you two be careful out there," Emolga said.

"Don't do anything crazy. Once you find Munna, come straight back, y'hear?" Gurdurr said.

"Come back safe. We'll be waiting to hear your story, Shin," Virizion said.

"We know. We've just got to be careful that Hydreigon doesn't find us. We won't be doing anything crazy," I assured.

"Let's go, Shin."

" OK. Time to get going."

We both stepped into the vortex and began waving to everyone watching us.

"Hmmm, good luck!"

"Shin! Silvy! Good luck finding Munna!"

Quagsire and Dunsparce both wished us luck on our mission as we the gate began to close.

"Thanks! We're leaving Paradise in your hands, everyone!"

Silvy's final words signaled the gate to close. We were pulled into the vortex and the gate closed behind us. Everyone may have been worried about us, but they still said goodbye with a smile on their face. They felt that we would come back victorious and had little to worry about. Thus, we traveled to Mount Kilionea.


	12. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

When the light subsided, we found ourselves to be inside a cave similar to cave that allowed us to get to the Great Glacier. Instead of dull grey rocks, the scenery was far brighter with it still being a dark cave. This was the dungeon that Umbreon and Espeon had created as a way for us to travel to the volcano significantly faster.

"There it is. This is the entrance to the dungeon. If we can just make it through this dungeon, we should get to where Munna is. It's a bit scary to go without any backup, but… Let's do it! Just the two of us!" Silvy declared.

This dungeon wasn't very different from Telluric Path. The only real difference was the scenery's coloring and the indigenous Pokémon. The real danger from Kilionea Path was the various traps that littered the dungeon area. Some of these traps were triggered by the wild Pokémon that wandered about.

"Wait. Look over there."

A prime example of traps was about to be displayed. Silvy was curious as to why I had stopped all of a sudden and peered over my shoulder to take a look.

A Deino, the Irate Pokémon, had wandered into the room we were about to enter and leisurely strolled about. At a glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but something inside me told me that we had to stop. Deino had not or maybe had no sense of danger as it continued to walk about happily. A Dragon type, it had dark coloring to emphasize its Dark type attributes. Part of its coat was a midnight black that covered its eyes and allowed it to have a sharp single point on the top of its head. The violet spots on its black coat complimented it while gave it a unique contrast to the rest of its cobalt skin.

Then my intuition finally bore fruit as Deino was startled by the appearance of trap it had stepped on. This trap induced sleep and left its victim helpless for a variable amount of time. Despite any forceful attempt to wake the victim, the sleepiness would still persist. As far I could see, only an item could dispel the sleep. After viewing the trap activate, I heard Silvy give out a soft gulp.

"H-how did you know that trap would be there, Shin?"

"I didn't. I just felt something was wrong with this room. At first I thought it was the Deino that had wandered in, but I guess it turned out it was the trap."

"So now we're going to have to be on the lookout for traps, huh? This certainly will slow us down."

"There isn't much we can do. We'll just have to be careful as we hurry along."

"Got it!"

With matter of the traps settled, we proceeded along the path as quickly as possible. There were times we triggered traps but these traps ended up to be minor, sometimes even comedic. One such trap was a Fling trap. This trap basically launched the victim in a random direction. By luck, when I had triggered this trapped, I was launched towards a pool of water that cushioned my fall. Even though it was a trap, Silvy still couldn't help but laugh as she fished me out of the water.

An example of a dangerous trap that was triggered was an Ambush Panel. As the name implied, it basically hid a Pokémon until the trap was triggered thus making the hidden Pokémon attack. Silvy had triggered this trap and was ambushed by a Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. With a tuft of hair at the top of its head that resembled a burning fire, Pansear was a Fire type that resembled a bright red chimpanzee. Surprised by the sudden emergence of Pansear, she stumbled and fell on the ground and could not get away from Pansear quick enough.

"Look out Silvy!"

I sent out a Thunderwave to immobilize Pansear before he could deal severe damage to her. Silvy was a Grass type and that gave her a significant disadvantage against Fire types. Paralyzed by my move, Pansear crashed to the ground only mere centimeters from Silvy. Snapping out of her surprise, she quickly got up and got behind me. I disposed of Pansear with an Electro Ball and turned back to Silvy.

"Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!"

"Y-yes. Thank you, Shin. You saved me there."

"Ahh… Thank goodness."

"Um…Shin? You can let go of me now. As you can see, I'm unharmed."

"Oh!"

I unconsciously held her shoulders and stared at her intently as I questioned her wellbeing. More concerned about her, I failed to realize how close we were to each other.

"Oh, um…sorry. I didn't realize how close I was. I'll just give you some room to breathe."

"Ah…no, it's okay…I guess…"

Giving out a weak protest of being separated, Silvy reluctantly stepped back. Seeing as she was okay, I coughed a bit and got ourselves refocused on our efforts to leave this Mystery Dungeon. Before we left, I noticed an object by Silvy's feet that caught my interest.

"What's that next to your feet, Silvy?"

"Hm? Oh! This is a Wonder Orb! How lucky!"

According to Silvy, a Wonder Orb was a mysterious item that had the power to fulfill a certain role it was imbued with. The orbs varied in purpose from the most basic of item retrieval to the more complex complete immobilization of entire wild Pokémon in the area.

"This one seems to be a strengthening type Wonder Orb. It'll give us a big boost in power. It may not be rare, but it's still useful to us. Let's keep it just in case."

I happily agreed and Silvy packed it away in our bag. We weren't that far from the exit so we hurried along to our next destination.

"Look, Shin! There's the exit!"

Silvy was excited by the visible light ahead of us. The exit to this dungeon was only meters ahead but a room was in between us and the exit. It was a wide room capable of being used as a room for rest. Everything could be considered as an easy walk towards the exit.

"C'mon, Shin! We've wasted too much time going through this cave!"

"Wait, Silvy! We should be careful-!"

I tried to warn Silvy of the dangers of proceeding hastily, but it turned out to be for naught. The worst possible trap anyone could encounter was triggered, a Monster House. The Monster House trap was a type of ambush trap that allowed for numerous Pokémon to appear out of nowhere and home in on the helpless victim. Silvy and I were no different as we were confronted by my count nine enemies. Palpitoad, Deino, Pansear, even a Pawniard appeared from nowhere and where glaring at us, full of killing intent. The most troublesome Pokémon also appeared towards the back, seemingly the guardian of the exit, was a Conkeldurr, the Muscular Pokémon. Conkeldurr was the final evolution of Timburr and Gurdurr and as such, was carrying a tool with it. In each hand were two slabs of dry concrete that would sure to deal great damage if swung around. Its body retained the veiny sinew of a Gurdurr but was now emphasized on its bulkier arms. Conkeldurr's face looked older as it sported a beard and age lines on its brow.

"What are we supposed to do? These Pokémon are all that's stand in our way…" Silvy said worryingly.

"…Still got that Wonder Orb?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Use it and break through the crowd. We just have to make it to the exit. Winning here doesn't involve beating all of these Pokémon. Winning is reaching the goal, understand?"

"I got it. I'll follow your lead."

We agreed upon the plan in order to reach the exit. Silvy took out the Wonder we found and the orb then gave off a mysterious light. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of power surging forth from my body. I felt stronger, so much I felt I could take on all of our foes by myself.

"You ready?"

"Let's do it!"

Our confirmation alerted the enemies of our intentions and they began swarming towards us.

"Haa!"

I unleashed a Thunderbolt that had caught several Pokémon off guard. Some Deino and Pansear that were caught were instantly incapacitated. The sight of their allies falling made them wary and gave us a wide birth.

"Now!"

I signaled Silvy to move up as we traveled together closer to our goal. Conkeldurr was beginning to place itself in a defensive stance as it saw through our intentions. It was going to be the hardest part of leaving here, but we still had the other Pokémon to deal with.

"Watch out, Shin!"

Silvy shot out a Vine Whip at a Palpitoad that snuck up behind me. She then proceeded to unleash a Leaf Tornado to blow away the other Pokémon ahead of us. It managed to blow away the foes that were in between us and Conkeldurr. The others were either behind us or staying towards the sides of the room. Most of them seemed shaken by how easily we had cut through the mass in order to reach Conkeldurr.

"Step aside, Conkeldurr. We need to get to other side," I declared.

Conkeldurr looked silently at us, pondering on what to do. The both of us were prepared to challenge it if it stood in our way. Just when we were ready to make the first move, Conkeldurr stepped aside for us. Conkeldurr even motioned for us to proceed.

"Thanks, Conkeldurr!" Silvy said graciously.

We then proceeded towards the exit. Something was off about the exit, though.

"It's, uh…pretty dark here… I can't see a thing."

"I guess we'll just have to feel our way through," I said.

"I think…this might be the dungeon's exit, but… Shin, you wanna check it out?"

We tried our best to get to the other side. The light we saw ahead of us turned out to be farther than we anticipated. When we had finally got out, we came into a forest clearing.

"It's dark out here, too!" Silvy said.

"It's not as bad as back there, but at least there's enough light to see what's around us," I noted.

"When did the sun go down? And how did we end up in a forest?! How much time could have passed…"

"I guess Umbreon did explain Entercards call up dungeons by twisting around the ley lines. You never know what'll happen when you do that… Maybe this is what he meant. Maybe the Entercards can even affect time. That's why the light we saw was different from what was out here."

"They said we'd be able to go straight to the base of Mount Kilionea. So I guess this must be it, but…"

"Well, that means Munna should be somewhere around here. And Hydreigon…"

"But there's no way we'll find them when it's so dark… And we don't want to run smack into Hydreigon by accident! I guess there's no other choice. We'll just have to camp out here for now."

"My thoughts exactly."

Since it was getting dark, we decided to rest and proceed early in the morning. With what foliage we could find, we made ourselves some beds and lit a fire. As I searched for suitable material for a bed, I stumbled upon a tree that just so happened to be growing apples. I grabbed a bunch and took them back to share with Silvy.

"Mmm. These apples sure are tasty. Good thing you found some nearby," Silvy said.

"You can't go on an empty stomach after all."

Cheerful small talk filled the night air as we ate by the fire.

"Say Shin, I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time now: how do you know so much about Pokémon?"

"Well, just like you believe humans are a myth, humans believe Pokémon don't exist as well. In fact, some of them have made stories about Pokémon. The stories have many pictures of Pokémon and what they're like. No one knew you all actually existed. Like many others, I was amazed by the pictures of Pokémon and so I read about them in my free time. They even made games about Pokémon."

"Wow… I guess that explains how you know so much. I wonder how humans found out enough about Pokémon to describe us perfectly…"

"It does make you wonder, doesn't it? Maybe some other human came here before me and then found a way back home," I said half-jokingly.

"If that's true, then there's a way for you to go back home too! I'm glad that you decided to stay, though."

"It is quite fun here. Certainly more adventurous than being the caretaker of an orphanage."

We both laughed at our mentioning of a way back to the human world. Somehow, one the laughter was filled more with loneliness than joy.

"….It's been a while, hasn't it Shin?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's been a while since we've adventured just us two. Remember when we first started out? We didn't even have a house to sleep in, hahah."

"Oh yeah. It was quite cold that night even with a fire. Sitting here like this really feels nostalgic."

"It may be selfish and wrong of me to say this, but I am glad that it's just the two of us going out to find Munna."

"Why is that? We've been together in every adventure and request that we've undertaken. There isn't many times where we have been separated."

"No, that's not what I mean. It's like, we never have the chance to go on adventures together, alone, just the two of us. We always have backup and I feel safer with them around to help us, yes, but…I don't know. I just get this slight irritated feeling sometimes. Maybe I'm just tired?"

Silvy did not feel very convinced about her own feelings. As for me, I already knew what she was feeling. I had seen this plenty of times at the orphanage. Feelings of jealousy and such; it was all a part of growing up. It was funny how Silvy was experiencing this without much insight as to what it could mean. I could easily reveal what she was feeling, but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?

"Heheh. Who knows?"

"Aww… You know, don't you? Tell me!"

"It'd be more fun for you to find out by yourself."

"Hmph. You're no fun."

Laughter helped us relax. In the situation we were facing, rest was a luxury we couldn't partake in often. These precious moments may end up being our last for quite a while. After a while, only silence and the voices of the forest could be heard. The fire was beginning to weaken so I added more wood to keep it from going out. Some more time passed until Silvy spoke again.

"Anyway, it's a pretty creepy forest, though, isn't it? I wonder…how long do you think it's been since we set out? It would normally take several days to get to Mount Kilionea on foot, so we used the Entercards to try to speed that up, but…"

"That's right. I hope it hasn't been too long. If a lot time has passed, Munna might not even be here anymore…"

"Munna… I hope she's alright… …Well, I guess worrying isn't going to help her, right?"

"We should just go to bed early so we'll be ready for tomorrow."

"But what if… What if Hydreigon attacks us while we're asleep or something? N-no… I've just got to stop thinking like that. If I start, I won't be able to stop. Sleep. We just need to sleep. Goodnight, Shin."

"Yeah, goodnight, Silvy. Let's get some rest for tomorrow."

Ugh…Mmm…

"… … …me… Can you… …hear me…? Shin!"

"You're…Munna! Are you OK, Munna?! You're not hurt?"

"Yes! I've somehow managed to keep out of trouble! Y-you actually came to save me… Thank you! Thank you!"

"Where are you now?"

"When you leave the forest where you are now, I think you'll see a rocky area. I'm hiding in the shadows there, among the rocks. But…Hydreigon just keeps getting closer… I can't move from my hiding spot, and if Hydreigon finds me… Please…help me!"

Just like before, somehow I felt like our conversation was cut off. I started to worry something may have happened to Munna.

"Munna? What happened, Munna? Are you there? Munna!"

The shock of the disconnection woke me from my sleep again. I was left startled and struggled to regain my composure.

Hah…hah… That was… I've got to wake Silvy at once!

I started to shake Silvy, attempting to wake her up.

"WAAAUUUGGGHHHHHH!"

She was greatly startled and was frantically searching her surroundings.

"Shin! Wh-what is it?! Hydreigon? He's attacking us?! …Huh? He's…not here… Oh, uh… Maybe I jumped to conclusions just a tiny bit…"

She was laughing dryly as her face showed her embarrassment.

"So why'd you wake me up, Shin? It's still night, isn't it?"

"Silvy, we need to go save Munna. We need to leave right now."

"Wha-? You want us to go save Munna right now? Why all of a sudden?"

I proceeded to tell her about the dream I had. I told her how at the end, the dream was suddenly cut off.

"Oh! Another dream?! So…if we don't go right away then Munna's gonna be-! …Alright. It seems pretty dangerous to stumble around in the dark, but… It looks like we don't have time to worry about that kind of thing right now. Let's go."

"Right, let's get going."

Trodding carefully further into the forest, we came upon the entrance to this forest's maze. The both of us were starting to get accustomed to the night and its darkness.

"My eyes have gotten pretty used to the dark now," Silvy said.

"Mine too. It looks like the forest continues on this way for a while."

"And beyond the forest, we should reach the rocky place where Munna is, right?"

"Yes. We'd better hurry or she'll be in trouble! Let's go, Silvy!"

"Lead the way, Shin!"

According to Silvy, the forest was known as the Forest of Shadows, aptly named as moonlight danced among the shadows of the trees. Even with moonlight shining down, the forest was still dark and visibility was low. This made it easier for the wild Pokémon to attack us with our guard down. Some of Pokémon were harder to spot than others. Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon, had sea blue skin and fins for ears and a horn. Its white collar gave the impression that it was also a type of fin. A navy blue line of spikes outlined its spine and went all the way down to its two-finned tail. Vaporeon's cellular structure closely resembled water molecules and thus allowed it to melt away into water, allowing it to become invisible. Using this natural ability, it would ambush us whenever we passed near puddles or bodies of water.

The shadows of leaves would sway more violently whenever Druddigon were close by. Druddigon, the Cave Pokémon, were Dragon Pokémon that were no slouches in fights. Although it was a flightless dragon, the jagged wings on its back still looked intimidating. Brick colored spikes could be seen covering the shoulders to the hands and its tail. The same brick color encompassed its entire head, a sharp contrast to its cobalt body and gold belly.

Other residents of the forest were Conkeldurr, Pansear, Archeops, the First Bird Pokémon, and Krokorok, the Desert Croc Pokémon. Archeops was the evolved form of Archen and as such, it gained the ability to fly. It had gained a more serpentine like head rather than an avian head with a teal line tracing the nose all the way back to the neck line. Another characteristic that enforced its serpentine resemblance was the long tail that had barely any feathers. As it could now fly, its wing span had grown to allow for more feathers necessary for flight. Most of the Archeops we encountered were sound asleep and were easily avoided. Others were leering at us with hostility as we cautiously found another way around them whenever we came across one.

The Krokorok were the most annoying to encounter in the forest. Evolved from Sandile, it had grown to have legs strong enough to support its body standing upright while its hind legs became small and regarded as normal hands. Its coloring was virtually identical to its previous state but the eyes had become more form fitting to that of a genuine crocodile. What made it an annoying opponent was the fact that it could see in the dark without hindrance. They had a special membrane that shielded their eyes from sandstorms and allowed them to see the thermal heat from prey. A Ground and Dark type, I had to be especially careful whenever one challenged us. More often I would suffer a critical blow and could not retaliate because it would then melt away in the darkness to find another opportune time to strike me. It would take Silvy's Leaf Tornado to get to break cover. Then I would stagger it with a Quick Attack leaving it open for Silvy to topple it with a swift Leaf Blade.

"Do you feel that?" Silvy asked.

"What?"

I couldn't sense anything until the rain started to fall.

"Is this what you meant?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, yes it was."

Even though there wasn't a single cloud in the sky in the previous area, this area of the forest suddenly had rain showering down on us. This was part of what made dungeons Mysterious Dungeons. Anything could happen without a moment's notice. Rain and intense heat were common occurrences in outdoor dungeons. With rain, Water-type moves were strengthened and Fire-type moves were weakened. Although the benefits and disadvantages of this weather didn't particularly affect us, it did benefit the Vaporeon that stood between us and Munna. Every now and again when Vaporeon attacked us, Silvy and I had to use more effort than usual just to subdue them.

"This rain isn't going to let up until we move away from this area," Silvy said.

"Then we have to hurry on to the next area. Time is running out…" I said.

Even though I wanted to get out of this forest as soon as possible, we still had to be cautious. Even in the next area, wild Pokémon were prowling the forest and we had to be aware of any traps waiting like land mines. Suddenly, I felt something cold beneath my feet. My entire body then felt as if I was sinking.

"Monster House…" I whispered.

Sure enough, a dozen foes appeared before us, materializing out of nowhere.

"What do we do now? We're outnumbered!" Silvy said in despair.

Got to think…!

We were severly outnumbered by Archeon, Krokorok, Vaporeon and Druddigon. It was as if the forest's representatives all came to greet and stop us. Every one of them did not move and simple leered at us. They were waiting for us to make the first move. There wasn't a clear path towards the other side where the entrance to the next area was. We didn't have much energy left to battle and our restorative items were dangerously low. What could we possibly do?!

Wait… Maybe we can get through here without a fight!

"Silvy," I whispered, "do we still have that Wonder Orb we found?"

"Which one?"

"The one that petrifies all the enemies in a room."

"Let me check."

Silvy quickly went through our belongings and found the Wonder Orb in question. This Wonder Orb allowed the user to petrify all the enemies in a single room. It was the lesser variant of the one that petrified all of the enemies in the area. I took hold of it and held up high for all to see. It began glowing and the wild Pokémon then had shocked expressions as they soon could not move an inch. So long as we did not harm or disturb them in any way, they would not be able to move until after we left the area.

With the enemies immobilized we carefully stepped around them towards the other side. Many of the Pokémon snarled or growled at us while we walked past them. Others could only shoot venomous glares as we passed them. When we got to other side, we quickly found the exit and pressed on to the next area.

"Oh! Shin! Over there! The trees thin out up ahead and I can see some rocks!"

"That must be where Munna is! Let's hurry!"

We quickly made our way to the clearly that Silvy saw. Just like Munna described, there were boulders littered about the volcano base.

"Hey, Shin. If we don't want Hydreigon to notice us…"

"We'd better whisper from here on out. Munna should be somewhere around here."

"But Hydreigon is probably close by, too. We've got to be on guard as we search. If we spot Hydreigon…we should just hide and watch to see what he does first."

"I don't like it, but you're right."

We then split up and began searching for Munna. We looked for clues, anything indicating where she could be or where she could have run off too. I went closer towards the base of the volcano when I suddenly felt a presence nearby.

"…Shin? Are you…there…?"

…Oh! Was that—?!

I made my way towards the voice that was calling out to me. This voice could only be Munna's so she had to be close.

"…Shin, did you find her?!"

Silvy noticed me wandering off and hurried to catch up to me. When she came next to me, she saw what I had found.

"…Whoa!"

"Sniffle…"

"Sh-she's hurt!"

"You're Munna, aren't you? Did… Did Hydreigon do this to you?"

"…Y-yes… Hah…hah…"

Munna was struggling to answer as her expression clearly showed she was in pain and close to passing out.

"We can't let Hydreigon find us, so we've gotta whisper, OK?"

"…I understand… Hah…hah…"

"You're breathing really hard. Are you sure you're OK?" I asked worryingly.

"Y-yes. I'll be fine. My wounds aren't as bad as I thought and…besides… I finally got to meet you, Shin… I'm so…glad."

"Munna…"

Silvy began surveying our surroundings, searching for hostiles.

"…I don't see any sign of Hydreigon."

"…Where could he be? I mean, there's no chance he's nearby and headed straight for us, right?!"

"…I don't know, but we've got to move while we have the chance! Munna, can you walk?"

"I…I think so…"

"Then let's get out of here, quickly. We'll all go back to Paradise together," I said.

"We can't…do that…"

That was when Munna said something strange and surprising.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because… You see…Shin is… No! I'm done with this act!"

Munna then got up. She appeared to have recovered her wounds. At least that's what I thought as she had no visible wounds that needed tending. Her expression, though, still looked dark.

"Shin is… gonna get taken down right here!"

Her sudden declaration of my demise caught us off guard. Neither of us understood what she was talking about.

"Wh-what?"

Silvy was left speechless. Munna began floating away from us as the both of us sensed something was amiss. We began taking steps back, unsure of what to do. As we did, the entire area suddenly glowed as two Chandelure appeared and flanked us. Their glow eventually lit the entire area and it became so bright we had to cover our eyes. When we got used to the brightness, we could see we were surrounded. Even worse, Munna had enemies we were familiar with behind here.

"WAAAUGH!"

Silvy let out a yell from being surprised from the number of enemies that surrounded us. Munna then let out an evil snicker.

"Heh-heh-heh… I finally caught you, Shin!"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha! Good job, Lady Munna! What a masterful perrrformance!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! No way… These are the dopes you were looking for, Lady Munna! What a fantastic coincidence, croak! We just happen to owe these punks a little payback, croak!"

"You know what to do, everyone. They're not getting away!

""YEAAAAAAAHHH!""

As soon Munna yelled out her order, a bloodcurdling cry was made by everyone. Their intentions were evident as we looked at our foes. Two Chandelure, Purrugly, Toxicroak, two Drilbur, two Gigalith, the Compressed Pokémon and two Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon, surrounded us.

"M-Munna?! Wh-what's going on here?! Why're you—?!"

"I don't get it either… I really have no idea what's happening, but…we're obviously in some serious trouble! That at least is clear! We've gotta run!"

The surrounding Pokémon drew closer to us as we still couldn't understand the situation. We had no choice but to retreat. If we wanted to make it back alive, we needed run now!

"Silvy, listen up!"

"…?"

"We'll only get one shot at this!"

I then whispered my plan to get us out of here.

"…Those Pokémon that are lighting everything up, the Chandelure. Let's aim at them!"

"…Right! I'm on board!"

"…No time to hesitate! GO!"

We then sprinted towards our targets and unleased a swift tackle to knock out the Chandelure.

""Aaaargh!""

The whole area then grew dark once more.

"Croak! Everything's gone black, croak!"

Now that everything's gone dark—!

"Shin! Now's our chance—let's run!"

"Ugh! Like we'd let you get away! After them! AFTER THEM!" Munna barked.

"Got it, croak! Come one, fellas! Let's get 'em!"

""YEAAAAAAHHH!""

They had let out a roar in order to snap themselves back from confusion. They started to chase after us, but they were still left in the dark.

"Mrrraaaaawwwr! Who was it?! Which one of you stomped on my prrrecious tail?!"

"Apologies! 'Twas me!"

"Ooof! Everything's spinning, croak! My head feels like I just split it on a giant rock or something, croak!"

"Gigaaaaaah! Was that you, Master Toxicroak?"

"What are you doing, you ninnies?! Just catch Shin and that other one! Don't you dare let them get away!"

""YEAAAAAAAHHH!""


	13. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

"Hah… Hah…"

During their embarrassing commotion, we ran as fast as we could away from there. We ran for a long time since daylight was already visible.

"Hah… Hah… Looks like…we managed to shake them off somehow. You alright, Silvy?"

I turned to check on Silvy, but to my surprise, she wasn't there.

"No…Silvy and I must have got separated along the way… … … … I wonder if she's alright?"

As long as she kept running, she should be okay, I hoped.

"But, what a sudden transformation! I still can't believe Munna really…"

Munna had betrayed us. No, it was more like she planned this from the very start. She had all of those Pokémon waiting for us. And the Pokémon that attacked Espeon were there, too.

"There's no denying it. It was a trap. But why would Munna want to attack us?"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! There's no one over there! Let's check this way next, croak!"

Augh! They've caught up already!

The irritating voice of Toxicroak could be heard in the distance. It was clear they were closing on me. I had to keep moving. I didn't have any time to figure out what was going on.

I've got to get out of here—quick!

Based on the surroundings, I assumed I was in Daybreak Ridge. Before departing towards the volcano, Silvy and I consulted a map to determine our way back to Paradise. We talked to various travelers and learned about the geography between Paradise and the volcano. One such place was Daybreak Ridge. This place was known for its tranquil land and spectacular view of the morning sun. White lilies were growing on small plateaus here and there and the gentle sounds of a creek falling into a pond could be heard nearby. Even the wild Pokémon did not seem so violent in this place. That being said, the wild Pokémon were still confrontational as I made my way through. Druddigon, Deino, and even Conkeldurr were present in this peaceful place.

Among these wild Pokémon were Gothorita, the Manipulate Pokémon. This Pokémon came across as a child sized goth. They would have two white bows on each pigtail and two on their chest to act as buttons to their chest. Their body looked more like a dress that was as black as night. Their hands were fingerless and looked more like pointers. Apart from their black and white color scheme, they had a purple face with cherry lips and light blue eyes. But looks were deceiving. It was told that they would use hypnosis to control Pokémon and then lead them astray or forever hold them as personal friends. Just that tale was enough to put me on high alert around them. If I wanted to keep running, I had to take them out quick or at the very least paralyze them and leave a surprise for my pursuers.

"Hah..hah… Finally. A room used for resting."

I must have been climbing as the slopes were gently getting higher the farther in I went. A room used for resting was a great relief, but I couldn't use it for long. There was no telling when Toxicroak and his goons would catch up. As much as I wanted to take a long rest, I only had time to catch my breath and check my belongings.

"I have two Oran Berries left, a Heal Seed, a Reviver Seed, a Blast Seed and a Foe-Hold Orb. Got to look for more berries…"

These supplies weren't going to last long if I kept running into wild Pokémon, worse if Toxicroak caught up. If I was going to survive, I'd need to scrounge for items as I went along.

I pressed on, not sure of the time anymore. The sky was getting brighter so I had assumed it was almost noon. The sun was starting to feel warmer as I nearly reached the summit.

"Hah…hah… I finally made it out of there. Whew. I'm pretty tired, but I've got to keep moving forward."

I summoned a burst of energy and reached the peak, hoping that there would be an easy path downwards. Once I made my way down, running away would be easier and I'd be able to outrun them.

"A…A dead end?!"

To my horror, there was no way down. Even though the view of the valley was spectacular, to me it was nothing but a mockery to my situation. I treaded closer to the cliff, praying that a path would be visible.

"It's a sheer cliff. And it's pretty far to the ground. …I'm not sure I can climb down from here. Maybe If I can find enough holds…"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Hey, fellas! Game's up! Shin's up here, croak!"

No…!

Just as he said, Toxicroak, a Chandelure, and a Gigalith appeared behind me.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! We finally caught up to you, croak! Looks like we're gonna be the ones to finish the job first, croak!"

First…? Wait a second, if they're going to finish the job first, then that means they haven't caught Silvy! If that's true, then I've gotta…

"Croa-ka-ka! Might as well give up, runt. You're going down…right here, right now! Croooak!"

I've gotta get away—no matter what! I'm going to escape, too, Silvy!

There was nowhere to escape. With a cliff behind me, the only way I was going to escape was over there unconscious bodies. Still, the odds weren't in my favor. Gigalith would be the number one problem. A pure Rock-type, he stood there glaring at me. He was a quadruped Pokémon that was had ruby formations growing out of its body. Some of those formations represented its claws and mouth. The small empty socket that was on a Roggenrola now had ruby eyes that were staring me down. Its navy blue rock body looked like it could crush me if I happened to be unfortunate enough to be under it.

Chandelure and Toxicroak were Pokémon I was already familiar with so I wouldn't be running into any surprises with them. Now I just had to figure out how to approach or else I'd die by their hands or by gravity.

"Let's just push him over says I!"

Gigalith took the initiative and walked up to me, determined to take me out without effort.

This is my chance…!

I rushed at Gigalith. Caught off guard by my rush attempt, Gigalith took a step back in order to anchor itself but that wasn't going to work. Using him as a step board, I then ricochet to Toxicroak and delivered a Quick Attack. The force was strong enough to launch him against Chandelure. They stumbled over each other and lied in a pile, struggling to get up. Using this chance, I threw a Blast Seed at Gigalith. The seed then exploded and caused Gigalith to cry out in pain.

"You little punk…! Croa-ka!"

Toxicroak spewed out a Poison Sting in anger in my direction.

"Just what I was hoping for!"

I jumped into the air to dodge his attack. Instead of hitting me, it then hit Gigalith.

"Gigaaaah! Boss, what gives?!"

"Croooak! You're in the way, fool!"

As they argued, I launched a Thunderwave at Chandelure. Chandelure didn't let my inability to dodge in the air go to waste, though. He shot out a Flame Burst and I did my best to avoid getting directly hit. Out of sheer luck, I rolled enough to let the attack shoot past me but not before it left scorch marks on my back as it went by. As payback, the Thunderwave accomplished its role and left him stunned in place. I landed near Gigalith and could see the telltale signs of poison coursing through his body. Toxicroak caught sight of me and started to rush me with his arm raised in a striking position. He was aiming to use Pursuit on me. Avoiding would only deal more damage to me if I failed at it, so I stood my ground and prepared to receive it.

"Eat this!"

I raised my hands and tried my best to withstand his pressure.

Come one…!

"Croa- ka?!"

Toxicroak was stunned to realize that I had managed to block his move and then suddenly finding out he couldn't move anymore. My Static ability managed to kick in and allowed for Toxicroak to be paralyzed as soon as he made physical contact with me.

"Master Toxicroak!"

"Not this time!"

Even though Chandelure was paralyzed he still managed to weakly throw an Ember my way. I wasn't going to let myself be burned twice in the same battle so I shifted myself so that instead of aiming for me, he would instead Toxicroak. As I dodged, I added my own Thunderbolt into the mix for added damage and that was enough to knock him out of the battle. Switching my targets, I ran towards Chandelure and began charging my Electro Ball. Fear was clear on his face as I launched my move, causing an explosive bang.

"Master Toxicroak! Chandelure!"

Gigalith, still alive, could only watch as he saw his allies fall. He couldn't get up as Toxicroak's poison was coursing through his body and was sapping his strength. A little longer and he too fell.

"Ugh… C-c..roak…"

Toxicroak was coming around from his beating. I had to admire that tenacity. Even after suffering knock out damage, he was still coming back for me. The only problem was I, too, was showing fatigue as well.

Hah…hah… I did it… I finally beat them. Now's my chance… I"ve got to get down from this cliff. Ugh… But I'm so tired from running and battling. My legs feel like lead.

I walked towards the edge of the cliff. I needed to find footholds in order to get down.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! L…like we're gonna let you get away, croak! S…somebody! Anybody! Can you hear me? We're up here! Shin is up heeeeere!"

Toxicroak wasn't going to give even after being beaten down. He desperately cried out for help, trying to call reinforcements. His yell rang out into the valley, but nothing responded. Just when I thought I could breathe with some relief, the ground began shaking. From underneath the earth, out popped out two Excadrills. They both then ran towards Excadrill, eager to answer their boss's cry for help.

No! More of them?!

These Excadrills were bad news for Pokémon of my type as they were Ground and Steel. They sported razor sharp blades for claws and one blade was fixated on its head like a hood. The middle claw had a serrated edge to it as well as the hat claw. Its body was shaped like a mole with its head being a snow colored white. Patches of red could be seen against their earth colored skin.

As if their appearance weren't bad enough, an ear piercing roar rang in the air, surprising even Toxicroak and his group.

"Wh-what now?!"

I searched in the everywhere in the sky looking for the owner of that powerful roar. What I saw sent a chill up my spine. Flying about was a Dragon Pokémon I didn't want to fight alone, a Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. This Pokémon was once a Bagon that had a dream of flying in the air. As a result of endless wishing and training, it had evolved into a Salemence. Powerful scarlet wings donned its back allowing this four legged dragon to fly. Its tail also had a scarlet underside that reached into its silver belly. Its head had three fins on each side, giving it a ferocious look when it barred its fangs at me. Its cerulean body was a calm contrast to this Pokémon's ferocity.

Once it spotted us, it landed next to Toxicroak and let out another might roar that shook the air around us.

Whoa!

I tried my best to not get blown away by the force of its cry. Toxicroak himself had a mixture of relief and fear in his expression as it addressed it.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Good timing, Salamence! Go after that little Shin! Croa-ka-ka!"

"Rooooooaaaarrr!"

"N-no way… Now I've got to take on all these Pokémon by myself?! Even without this… I'd already used up all my strength… I barely have energy to stand and now this!"

"Goooo! Croooak! "

"Drrrrrrrrrrill!"

The Excadrill did not show any hesitation as they both charged at me. Despite being tired, I did my best to avoid their swipes at me.

"Kuh!"

One swipe, two swipes, an uppercut, a downward slash. They did everything they could to get a hit on me. I sidestepped, ducked, jumped, rolled, anything that let me avoid these hits. I did everything I could until one bad misstep caused me to slip. This gave one Excadrill the opening he needed to tackle me towards the cliff.

A-ah! No! I'm gonna fall—!

I clawed at the ground in order to stop myself from going any closer to the cliff edge. I managed to grab ahold to some grass and was merely inches from the edge. Salamence then raised his head to the air and energy could be seen growing inside its mouth. I was too tired to move anymore and could only watch helplessly as Salemence was preparing a Hyper Beam.

Th…they're coming for me, but… I can't get out of the way!

The energy had finally formed itself into a sphere. One final arc of its neck and Salemence was about to release its Hyper Beam at me until,

Augh!

Shin! Please duck!

A mysterious voice had suddenly echoed in my mind and told me to duck.

"What?!"

One word left my mouth, but I didn't want to think about it. I obeyed and flattened myself on the ground. From out of nowhere, Hydreigon had materialized behind me and released a Dragon Pulse. A powerful shockwave of energy was released from the middle head and struck Salamence directly. Surprised by the sudden attack from a move that it was weak against, Salamence roared out in agony.

"Rrrrrrooooooaaaaaawwwwrrrr!"

Not giving Salamence the chance to recover, Hydreigon flew over in front me and then unleased a Dark Pulse to stun Toxicroak's group.

Th-this Pokémon is—?!

"We are escaping, Shin!

"What?!"

With a strong flick of its tail, Hydreigon pushed me over the cliff. I tripped over my awkward steps and then felt the terrifying sensation of free fall.

"AAAAHHHH!"

The entire group was surprised at this sudden action and ran to see my fall to my death. Hydreigon quickly veered itself to the sky and followed after me. It then caught me on its back and we both flew off away from everyone on the cliff.

"What…croak croak!"

I could hear Toxicroak vent his frustration as he saw us grow smaller in the distance.

… … … … Wha… What in the world… What happened? Wh…where am I… That's right… I…I fell…from the cliff. And…

I tried to gather my thoughts. Everything was dark and I couldn't feel anything. I began to think that the worst came to pass and this was place between worlds. It was what I thought until I heard a voice. A familiar voice,

"Oh! You're awake at last!"

"Ohh…"

I got up and opened up my eyes. I wasn't dead, I was alive, but unconscious. I shook my head to drive the dizziness away then I took stock of where I was. It appeared I was in some sort of cave. Water could be heard rippling nearby and there was some greenery in the room. I turned my direction towards the voice,

"AAAAAH! H-H-Hydreigon!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you? I-I'm sorry! But…but I definitely won't eat you or attack you or…or battle you or defeat you or crush you or…or anything like that! No, not you, Shin. Definitely not!"

"Wait wait wait. Everything you're saying is making me more and more nervous. You're lying aren't you! You're just trying to make me lower my guard!"

"I'm telling the truth! Please believe me!"

I could only raise an eyebrow and be wary of Hydreigon, but everything that's happened has pointed towards his innocence.

…That's right. I remember now… When I was in trouble Hydreigon suddenly appeared. Then…I think…he saved me when I fell from the cliff.

"Well…seeing as you've saved me and all, I guess I'm obligated to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh, good! It looks like you've calmed down a little, at least. I'm so relieved to see that! You were unconscious for a really long time, Shin," Hydreigon said happily.

"Unconscious?"

"Yes, that's right. We are in a small cave in the valley near Mount Kilionea. I flew all the way here carrying you, Shin. You're heavier than I expected! Honestly, I was exhausted. Just keeping the two of us in the air was tough! And then I chose the most hidden spot I could find and then I struggled all the way here! I did a really good job, don't you think? I would say we won't be found soon in a place like this! And you seemed so very tired, Shin. You just wouldn't wake up, you know? I was very worried. But now you're awake at last!"

Hydreigon turned out to be quite the kind and gentlemanly Pokémon, very much opposite of what he appeared as. He spoke very well in with the hint of a British accent and had excellent manners. He did talk a lot, but at the moment, I didn't really pay much attention as the world was clearly upside down.

Somehow it seems like Hydreigon is not quite the Pokémon I thought he was. Now I'm really confused. The scene I saw in my dream, Hydreigon menacingly chasing Munna through a dark cavern, THAT Hydreigon definitely gave off a scary vibe! But this Hydreigon seems polite and well-spoken, not scary at all, really. That vision of Hydreigon chasing Munna was what started it all. Because of that vision, I thought I had to go save Munna. But when I did, Munna turned around and attacked me instead. And the one who actually saved me from her was…Hydreigon…

"I'm ever so glad you're awake! After all, Shin…I wanted to meet you for such a long time!"

"What? Are you about to say what I think you're about to say…?"

"You did hear my voice, didn't you? Back in the human world? Oh, come now! You haven't forgotten already, right? "

"You're voice…? In the human world?"

Wait a second! In the human world?! I-it can't be! The voice I heard before I turned into a Pokémon. That voice was—?!

I tried to think about that day, the day I heard the voice. When I first heard it, the voice was calling out to me, clear as day. It asked if I was human and then pleaded for my help in saving the Pokémon world.

"Do you really mean…that voice was—?! I always assumed it was Munna calling out to me, but…it wasn't Munna at all. It was you?!"

"It appears you've remembered at last! It sure was tough, you know… And just when I thought I'd finally gotten through to you in your dream, then Munna took control of my voice. And in the end she even went further and showed you that terrible fake vision! She made you think I was the bad guy! My goodness, can you believe it?"

"Okay, Hydreigon. That scary expression you're making is starting to scare me a little. I get it. Munna did something terrible, so please calm down a little," I said nervously.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry. It's just that dreadful Munna and her awful trickery just gets me so riled up. But you're right, I shall relax."

Like night and day he changed his expression from one of ferocious anger to pleasant smiles. His mood swings were quite intense to behold.

"But that vision…it was fake?! So that scene I saw, it was something Munna made up to trick me?! Th-then…that explains why…"

I didn't think anything of it at the time, but during that dream something happened. I don't know what it was. Static. Dissonance. Interference. Something occurred and then Hydreigon's voice actually cut off at the point when he was about to tell me what to do. Then for just a second it cut off and that was when Munna took over Hydreigon's voice and she was the one who… That's right. Munna was the one who desperately cried out for help. And the scene that followed, that was to link it to the image of Hydreigon chasing down Munna.

"That's right! That's exactly right! It was quite convincing, wasn't it?" Hydreigon said admiringly. "…No, wait! I mean—it was terrible of her! Absolutely rotten! Grrr! And ever since you came to this world, Shin, Munna and her friends kept getting in my way so I could never meet you! I was at my wits' end, honestly! But, thanks to this chance I finally get to talk to you in person! I'm so glad! Oh, it really is wonderful!"

"So the one who wanted my help…was actually you, Hydreigon. But even if that's so…I still don't get it. Why did Munna hijack my dream like that, using your voice to tell lies? She showed me that fake image and then tried to attack me. Why?"

"…Ah, I see. You still don't understand, do you? Please allow me to explain. Why I had to reach out to the human world. Why I asked for help from a human and possibly why Munna wants to see you gone. You see, the truth is that I—"

Rrrroooooaaawwwrrr!

"Oh! Th-that's Salamence!"

"It sounds like it's coming from inside the cave!"

"I'm sorry, but I must delay my explanation for the moment! Now, we need to run!"

"I'm okay with that. We don't want to be around when Salamence shows up. We need to get out of this cave!"

"Okay! Follow me, Shin!"

I nodded and allowed Hydreigon to lead the way. The cave took us farther below until it started to ascend into daylight. When we climbed out, I found that the sun was at its peak and the air was very dry and hot.

"Our enemies outnumber us by quite a lot. If we are found, it could be disastrous. I wish I could carry you and fly away, like we did from that cliff, Shin. Forgive me, but…"

"It's okay Hydreigon. I know you're too tired from carrying me here. We'll just have to outrun our pursuers. Let's not waste anytime moping here. If Salamence doesn't get us, this heat will."

"You're right. I need to save my energy and not fly unless it's an absolute emergency."

"Okay. Let's stick to the ground. Let's go!"

I was about to enter this dungeon when Hydreigon stopped me.

"Oh, wait! While I am not exactly a member of your party, my mind is still in sync with yours, Shin! In other words, we can still perform a team attack! I will also follow your lead when it comes to Team Skills and do whatever you do. …Oh? Does it seem odd that I can use team attacks and skills like that? Well, it's because I am a bit different from a regular Pokémon. But explaining that will take more time than we have right now! Let's just get to safety. Hurry!"

We both agreed on the urgency to get away from here. Using the Deposit Box nearby, I put all the items I had found on my escape up Daybreak Ridge and withdrew some items for the road. I was about to go through a unknown territory so there was no telling what was going to happen. I took what was necessary and some precautionary ones and we made our escape into the next area.

As we pressed forward, we came across a great valley that was incredibly high above a river below. This place was called Ochre Quarry and even though it was hot, there was a breeze blowing because of the height of this place.

"Whoa. Just don't look down, huh?"

"We'll be fine. There's plenty of space on this bridge. Just have to keep moving forward, Shin."

Taking Hydreigon's words to heart, I hurried to the other side of the bridge. Luckily, the wild Pokémon that were on the bridge with us were asleep, so we didn't have problems getting across. Once across, we entered the area and made our way forward. Although this place was situated in a valley, this area gave the feel of a desert. The ground radiated desert heat under the sun while clouds overhead passed by, casting shadows. There were cacti and agave plants growing around and the bushes seemed dead and dry.

Even though Hydreigon said he was exhausted, he had little trouble disposing of this area's residents. The wild Pokémon here were Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokémon, Gothorita, Seismitoad, the Vibration Pokémon, Amoonguss, the Mushroom Pokémon, and Shelgon, the Endurance Pokémon. Zebstrika was the evolved form of Blitzle and did not change very much through tis evolution. It still resembled a zebra, only more mature and at its adult stage in life. Its wild mane still resembled a coursing thunderbolt only now tracing its body from the tail to the head. The tail itself had an end that resembled an explosive burst. Seismitoad was human sized blue and black colored toad that walked on its hind legs. The bulbous orbs it had as a Palpitoad had materialized on its arms alongside the ones on its back. The orbs overshadowing its eyes gave it an intimidating look whenever one challenged us. Ammoonguss was just a giant sized mushroom with mushrooms for hands. The unique pattern on its cap and hands was reminiscent of the image of Poké Balls found in games of the human world. Shelgon was the evolution after Bagon and the one before Salamence. Just the thought that the something that was growing in the onyx shell of Shelgon was a future Salamence sent shivers down my spine. Nothing could be seen as the only things visible outside the shell was its four legs and the eyes that seemed to glow and pierce right through you.

Most of the time I played a supporting role to Hydreigon, as he took the vanguard. Just the mere presence of him was enough to show just how strong he was. When one experience his battling skills, just about everyone fell to his power. The only time I had to intervene was when a group of wild Pokémon surrounded us. Shelgon especially did not last more than 5 seconds against Hydreigon as he had a type advantage against Dragons.

It took us a while to make it to the far end of the valley. We crossed one other bridge but it didn't any more difficult than the first. One final sprint across this bridge and we had exited the Ochre Quarry.

"Hah…hah… Hah…Hah… It's gotten pretty dark. It must be almost night time."

"We've been walking for a long while. It does take it out of you, doesn't it? There's no sign that we've been followed. Shall we stop here for the night?"

"Agreed. I could really use some rest…"

We then began to set up camp in a small cove a little ways from the exit of Ochre Quarry. Hydreigon went around gathering firewood for the fire while I looked around seeing if there was anything to eat. All around us was nothing but desert like terrain and plants that didn't look edible. Glumly, I went back to our spot and saw Hydreigon carrying the last of the firewood with his three heads.

"Here. This should be enough. Please allow me to light the fire."

Hydreigon then scaled back his Tri-Blast and focused the third of the attack on the fire pit. It lit up and we had something to keep us warm. I walked towards the fire, eager to lied down and finally rest, and sat down. I looked up at the night sky and saw that the moon was full tonight.

Even when we're this far away, the moon and the star look just the same as they do in Paradise. I wonder how everyone in Paradise and Post Town is doing now… I wonder…if Silvy is alright? I hope she made it safely back to Paradise. If she makes it that far, she can get help from the others. I've got to do the same. I've got to make it back to Paradise.

Finding the silence and my wistful gaze into the sky awkward, Hydreigon decided to finally break the silence,

"Shin?"

His sudden calling snapped me out of thoughts and back into reality.

"Shin, you… You must wish that you could go back to your home, don't you? But before you can do that…I'm afraid there is something I must ask you to do."

"Something I have to do? You mean save the Pokémon world, right?"

"Yes. In order to do that, you must destroy the Bittercold."

"Bitter…cold?"

"Correct. If you want to know why I should ask a human like you for help, Shin… Well, I'm afraid we didn't get to finish our conversation before, did we? I'll continue my explanation now, if I may."

"Please."

"First of all, I must tell you… The truth is that I…am not a Pokémon," he said bashfully.

"What? You're not a Pokémon?!" I exclaimed at this revelation.

"Ah… Well, perhaps it's not entirely accurate to say that I'm not a Pokémon. As you can see, I have taken the form of a Pokémon. But it is only a temporary form. In fact…I am the Voice of Life."

"The…Voice of Life?" I said, confused.

"The Voice of Life is the voice of all nature," he explained. "Every last mountain, river, tree, and blade of grass in this world. It is an exclamation of joy…and cry of pain. When all of those voices come together in a single united cry… Well, that's me. Shin, right now, this world, the Pokémon world…is teetering on the verge of destruction."

"What?!"

Hydreigon had just declared something quite dreadful. I had assumed saving the Pokémon world would entail retrieving something to stop famine or war, but the complete destruction of a world?! That increased the severity exponentially.

"It is the Bittercold, a mysterious body that has suddenly appeared in our world. As it grows, it eats away at the heart of the world…and it drives it toward destruction."

"So you're saying this world is being destroyed from the inside? By this thing called the Bittercold?"

"Right you are. Shin, you have, that is, the Starlight have… You've traveled to the Great Glacier, from what I hear. Did you happen to see objects levitating in the air while you were there? That is evidence of the Bittercold's power."

"Huh?"

"In other words, the Bittercold…lies within the Glacier Palace."

"The Bittercold is in the Glacier Palace? And it has the power to make objects around it float? Ah! I-if it can do that…then the Bittercold must be—! Are you saying the Bittercold is…!"

I thought back to the point where we all saw ice crystals floating in midair. We were all surprised that such a phenomena was occurring right before our eyes. Umbreon and Espeon began explaining that those crystals weren't the only things floating around. They were relieved to find evidence that the rumor they had been following was not simply a rumor anymore. The Great Crystal, that had only been a story, began to feel real in the Glacier Palace.

The Great Crystal that Umbreon sought out with such fire in his heart… To think it would be threatening the world with destruction. That it's actually this Bittercold Hydreigon is talking about!

"Yes, Shin. It is as you have surmised. The Great Crystal is very well in fact, the Bittercold. My intention is to destroy the Bittercold and protect this world. But there is something standing in my way. The one who stands guard over the Bittercold: Kyurem."

"Wh… WHAAAT?! K-Kyurem?! You're saying the Kyurem that is regarded as myth and legend?! THAT Kyruem is protecting the Bittercold?!"

"Kyurem is able to see into the future. And if there is anyone who dares endanger that future, anyone who would oppose that future is defeated without mercy. Stoutly defending the future that has been decided, that's what Kyurem does. That's what Kyurem is…"

"Defending the future…that has been decided. He's a harbinger of destruction… That's right! When we were in that palace, Kyurem himself said he had been watching over the future since days long gone and forgotten. So the future that Kyurem saw, it was the world ending! Even knowing that Kyurem is trying to protect that future, a future…of destruction…"

Such a fate…is what everyone is supposed to accept? Did Kyurem not think of changing the future? Why would anyone accept such a thing?

"Munna and the other Pokémon who attacked you, Shin, all of them work for Kyurem. Kyurem and his allies wish to bring this world to an end. Yet the many voices in this world, the voices of life do not wish that. They are crying out for this world to be saved. And so I want to destroy the Bittercold, whatever it takes. But Kyurem is not the only problem. The Bittercold…is actually a manifestation of the negativity of Pokémon. A dense fog formed of those negative emotions surrounds the Bittercold. And that is why…if a Pokémon gets too close to the Bittercold, its spirit will be overwhelmed by that negative power. A power so crushing that it is difficult even to breathe."

That explained why everyone else was having such difficulty breathing. As we got closer and closer to the Great Crystal, everyone was beginning to collapse from a lack of oxygen. On the other hand, I did not technically count as a Pokémon. I was originally human. This allowed me to not be affected by the intense negative miasma that everyone else was suffocating from.

"That is why no Pokémon can destroy the Bittercold. And if not a Pokémon, then who? That's when I thought…perhaps a human. A human might not be affected by that Pokémon negativity. When I realized that, I began to broadcast my plea into the dreams of humans in an attempt to find our hope in the human world. And one of the humans who heard that plea and came to our world…was you, Shin."

"Wait. You said 'one of the humans'. Humans. Plural. You're saying there were others before me?"

"That is correct. As I said, I broadcasted my plea to the dreams of humans. You were one of many humans that answered that call and were brought here. You are not actually the only human in this world, Shin."

"Then where are they? What happened to them?"

"I do not know. They should still be somewhere in this world. But…those poor humans… They are also being hunted down by Kyurem and his allies, one by one. Munna lures them out, just as she did to you…and then defeats them utterly. I'm afraid that you are the only one I can depend on now, Shin! Please say you will help me! Please say you'll destroy the Bittercold!"

Hydreigon had bowed all three of his heads in order to beg for my help. The light of the fire had also caught some of the tears that were forming in the center head.

It's shocking to hear that there are other humans who came to this world as Pokémon besides me. But they're all being targeted by Munna's gang and being defeated one after another. But if all the humans who came here are defeated…what happens? The Bittercold has to be destroyed, or it's the end of this world. Someone has to do it! Someone has to stick it out to the end! So then…I've just go to—!

"Hey, Hydreigon. You don't need to beg and plead. You called out to me and brought me here for a reason. I haven't once thought I wasn't going to save this world. I'm going to help you destroy the Bittercold. This world isn't going to face destruction."

These words came out gently and firmly. I wasn't going to back out now. Finally knowing the truth, I wasn't about to let the world that Silvy and the rest of Paradise existed be subjected to the Bittercold's destruction.

"Thank you so much! We… You and I! Together we will save the world! Somehow!

Hydreigon was now crying tears of joy. He was glad he would be joining me in destroying the Bittercold. Since no Pokémon could get anywhere close to it, it was up to me and Hydreigon to destroy it for the good of the world. We turned for the night and then headed out towards Post Town when dawn broke.


	14. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

"Cutting through this grassland should be the quickest way to Post Town. But it will still be a long and tiring walk."

When morning came, we buried the remains of the campfire and pressed forward towards Post Town. We arrived at the entrance to another dungeon when Hydreigon stopped in order to explain our situation.

"You and your friends used the Entercards to go to the Great Glacier, didn't you, Shin?"

"Yeah, we did. Inside the Great Glacier was the palace that held the Great Crystal. If we want to go there again, we'll need help from Umbreon and Espeon. I'm still worried about Silvy, of course, but I have to believe that Silvy has made it back to Paradise. We've got to keep moving."

"Let us set off, then. Let us go to Paradise!"

"Okay!"

The Withered Savanna was the next area we had to journey through. Just as it name implies, it was dry and hot, even in the morning. The grass looked like it hadn't had water for a while, but the flowers were still growing beautifully. Violets, daisies, goldenrods, and heath asters could be seen growing vibrantly and others beginning to wilt. Scolipede, Glameow, Amoonguss, and Zebstrika made their residence here.

Some residents that were new to me were Leafeon, the Verdant Pokémon, Liligant, the Flowering Pokémon, and Simisear, the Ember Pokémon. An evolution of the famous Eevee, Leafeon was a Grass-type in both appearance and abilities. Its tail and ears were shaped in the form of leaves as the green color complimented the soft cream body and chestnut colored eyes. A long blade of green fur acted as a centerpiece on its head as other green patches of fur stuck out from its legs, chest, and back. Liligant was a lovely looking Pokémon that looked more plant than Pokémon. Wearing a five petal tangerine colored garland on its head, its body looked more like a stem to the flower on its head as its arms were leaves, the cape attached to the flower were also leaves. The only thing that wasn't leaves was its gold colored flower petal collar and root shaped feet. Simisear had grown taller and more distinct body features. The tuft of hair look more like burning fire and its tail the smoke and cotton like white fur was wrapped around its neck like a towel.

Again, Hydreigon took the vanguard and mowed down any wild Pokémon foolish enough to stand between us and the exit. There were a couple of times we were caught in a Monster House and were thus surrounded, but that wasn't enough to stop Hydreigon and his mission. His Tri Blast and Dragon Pulse would just blow all of the challengers away. I did my best to cover Hydreigon in those times as he could only focus on the Pokémon in his line of vision.

Everything was going fine until hail began to fall.

"Why is hail falling in a place like this?!" I said, confused.

"Don't be so surprised, Shin. These are Mystery Dungeons after all. This type of phenomena isn't uncommon when exploring here. You should be surprised if we are suddenly whisked away to dungeon altogether."

"Is that so? Well let's first get out of here. This hail is only to hurt us more if we don't enter the next area."

Hail was one type of weather condition that did gradually inflict damage on us. So long as we remained in that area, we'd constantly take damage and make it easier for our foes to strike us down.

"Hah…hah… You weren't kidding about this savanna being a long and grueling walk, huh?"

"I am sorry that we had to take this route, but on the bright side, we've made it to the exit!"

Hydreigon was looking out towards a clearing that gradually opened up more and more. This was probably the exit he was referring to.

"Things should get much easier once we get out of here, I imagine. Let us hurry onward!"

"Right! …Wait. We're being watched."

"What?!"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! Did you think you could rrrrun away that easily?"

"This voice belongs to—!"

"It's unmistakable. It's the Pokémon that attacked Espeon."

I turned around towards the sinister laugh that was mocking us but couldn't find Purugly. Then the earth began to quake and four Excadrill surrounded us

"Aaah! Excadrill!" Hydreigon cried.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! You're just naïve if you thought you could rrrrun from us!"

"Hmph! I was expecting such antics! I never even imagined we could run away without any interference. But—! You would be the naïve one to think we will easily be defeated here!"

On Hydreigon's cue, we both readied ourselves to fight our way out. We were not going to let these Pokémon stop us!

"Nya-ha-ha! Well, that's probably trrrrue. Shin alone is bad enough… But with you here as well, Hydrrreigon, we rrrreally are at a disadvantage. So this time—just this time—we won't fight you."

"What's your aim?" I asked cautiously.

"Simple. We're passing along a message."

"A message?"

"We have Silvy."

"!"

What?! Silvy is—?!

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! She's in our paws this verrrry moment. If you wish to save her…why don't you mosey on overrrr to the Holehills? If you don't… Well, who knows what might happen to poor Silvy? I'll leave that up to yourrrr imagination. Laterrrr. Nya-ha-ha-ha!"

A flash of light blinded us for a moment, but that was all it took. Within an instant, all four Excadrills disappeared underground and we were left alone with Purugly's message.

"We'll be waiting for you! You'd better come rrrescue her! Nya-ha-ha-ha!"

This is bad, very bad. I've got to go after her!

"Oooh! What low-down dirty Pokémon!"

"So Munna and the others, they're waiting for us in a place called the Holehills, right?"

"What? Y-you can't be… You can't be thinking of going! It's obviously a trap! We do not even know if they really have her, if Silvy was really captured! If we go and find that Silvy is not there and then you are defeated—what will happen to this world?!"

I stared directly at Hydreigon. "I'm going after Silvy. Trap or not, I need to be sure she is safe before I go any further."

"I understand that you're worried about her, but I'm sure this is another of Munna's lies! So we surely should not go! For now, just believe that Silvy must have made it safely back to Paradise and let us make our way there!"

"… … … You may be right. I'm aware that it's probably a trap. Silvy might not have been caught at all. Even so, I'm going, Hydreigon. If they really do have her, if it's true, then Silvy will—!"

That's all the convincing I needed. I didn't have to think about it. If Silvy was in trouble, then I'd come running. I made a promise to rescue her if she was ever in trouble. So I started heading back the way we came.

"Wh-where are you going?!"

"Nothing matters to me more than Silvy's safety. I'm not going to go any farther. If you're not coming with me then I'll do this alone. I'll catch up with you once I make sure Silvy isn't with Munna's gang. Just tell me where the Holehills are."

"What? You expect me to tell you where that place is?! No! There is no way I can allow it! You must not go there! …But… No matter how much I protest, you will not listen, will you?"

Despite his protests, Hydreigon could see the determination in my eyes. I was not going to listen to him and he knew it. If he didn't tell me where the Holehills were, I'd find them myself. He could only relent.

"Ahhhh, I knew it… I understand. But what a mess this is! But… It may be an odd reaction, but… I also feel…a bit relieved."

"Huh?"

"In the brief time I have spent with you, I believe I have come to understand you. What kind of person you are, Shin. So even when I said we should not go to your friend's rescue, the truth is that even my own heart rebelled at those words. I knew that you would not listen to my objections. I knew you would say we must go to save her. I know it's the right thing to do. I just needed you to talk me into it. I'm so glad…that you are…who you are, Shin."

"Thanks Hydreigon."

"I don't wish to take too much of a detour… But your Silvy is…very important to you, isn't she? Just as the world is so very important to me, the Voice of Life, they are both irreplaceable. Let us go and save your friend! Let us go save Silvy! I will assist you!"

"Hydreigon! Okay! Let's get going!"

A few hours later, we arrived at the foot of the Holehills. Just as its name implied, this place was full of plateaus, hills, even mountains that were littered with gaping holes on their surfaces. Wind could be felt coming from some of these holes, so I could only imagine that they were connected somehow somewhere. Other than the usual earthy colors of this place, this place wasn't that different from other places I've been to with Silvy.

"Beyond here you'll find the Holehills. These hills are dotted with countless holes and from the smallest to the greatest are all linked by caves. There will be plenty of hiding spots for our enemies. It's the perfect place for an ambush. I know I've already warned you, but this undoubtedly a trap. I think Munna and the others are most likely lying in wait at the peak, but…"

"There's a chance that as we make our way through the dungeons here we will run into some little challenges from them. I see."

"You are correct. Let us be extremely careful."

I wasn't worried about any resistance as we made. Come what may, I'd strike them all down until I got to where Silvy. I want to believe she wasn't captured, but there was no way of telling for sure. That's why the both of us were here. Any hesitation I had was left behind as we climbed towards the peak.

Judging from how high the peak was, I guessed it was somewhere on the fifth level. There wasn't any way to reach that height from here so we had to make our way up through the caves. A nearby hole gave us an entry point and we made our ascent. The inside of the caves reminded me of the caves of Ragged Mountain as we made our way up. The same Pokémon we saw at the saw at the savanna were here, too, with some additions. Larvesta, the Torch Pokémon, was a Bug and Fire-type that had the body of a cicada and a head that was wrapped underneath white fuzz with thick red strands sticking out, surrounding the head in a star pattern. Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon, had a tail as big as its body that it used to bounce around instead of walk. Its body was also an aqua blue round shape and had to white dots to highlight its cheeks. Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon, was another Eevee evolution. With a prickly white mane on its dull yellow body, this Pokémon was capable of absorbing my Electric moves and use it to heal itself.

A little farther ahead was an exit that lead to the next plateau. But before we could climb the stairs, I noticed something shiny lying on the ground. I walked towards it to see what it was and to my surprise, it was a Frism.

Hydreigon came up to me see what it was I had found. "Isn't this…?"

"A Frism? It's white inside. It must have recorded something."

"Frisms are incredibly rare. This is not something you would normally find simply lying around the Holehills."

"Then that means someone left it here on purpose. Let's have a look."

I picked up the Frism and warmed it up with my breath. The recording then began to play back.

'Augh! What d'you think you're doing!'

"Silvy!"

'Didn't you reach out to Shin for help, Munna?! So then why?!'

'Heh! That was simply an act meant to trick all you fools! Shin cannot be allowed to stay in this world! That is why I tricked you into coming here—to eliminate Shin!'

'What do you mean, Shin can't stay in this world?! Oof!'

'Croa-ka-ka-ka! Quit your complaining! Just shut your trap and be a good little captive, croak!'

'Ughhh…'

The Frism then remained silent.

"…I think that's the end of the recording. So you were right about Silvy being captured after all. You were right when you insisted that we come here."

"So Silvy secretly recorded this message and dropped it here so we'd hear it, huh? But this Frism… Isn't it…"

"Shin. We don't know what kinds of traps might be waiting for us ahead. And even if there are no traps, our enemies have greater numbers. There is no doubt we will be at a disadvantage, whatever comes. We should attempt to find Silvy and get her away without being found by our enemies or being drawn into any fights. That is the only path left to us, I believe. Let us be sure we know what we're planning to do before we move forward."

Hydreigon began moving towards the new area. I stayed behind and examined the Frism. There was something about it that didn't sit right with me.

Wait. If this belongs to… Then perhaps…

I caught up to Hydreigon and explained my idea regarding this Frism

A little later and we made to the peak.

"We've reached the peak, Hydreigon."

"It would seem we are nearing the end of our journey, Shin. Let us be careful."

"I'll go on ahead and check things out. You wait here."

Hydreigon merely nodded and I crawled closer to see over the peak. As we thought, the whole place was filled with the minions of Kyurem. Munna, Toxicroak, and Purugly were also there, searching and waiting. I could somewhat hear the conversation they were having with each other.

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! How d'you like being all tied up, huh? …Hmph! No reply, huh? Whatever, croak! Hey, Lady Munna. When do you think that pesky Shin's gonna appear, croak? Maybe at night, huh? When we can't see anything coming, croak."

"It is true that those two used darkness to their advantage last time… But this time may be different. I don't think even Shin believes that the same trick will work twice. Regardless, even I must admit the wit you showed in attacking the Chandelure that time was…quite clever."

"Compliments from you? Please."

This voice… Silvy! She's here!

I couldn't see where she was but her voice indicated she was definitely here.

"But it doesn't matter. You bullies will never be able to catch Shin. Never."

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Well, don't you talk big! Do you even understand the situation you're in right now, croak? Didn't you get caught? And aren't you now at our mercy, croak?"

"Yeah, I did get caught. But Shin's different. You're not gonna catch Shin. It'll never happen."

Silvy adamantly believed that I would never get caught by them. She was sure that even though she was trapped, I wouldn't get caught. But Munna merely shrugged and gave an evil sneer.

"My, but aren't you the broken Frism. Heh-heh-heh, but I wonder about that. I guess we'll find out when Shin finally shows, wont' we? But I won't be letting that little fool get away again. There is no doubt Shin will try to strike when we are weakest. It may become a drawn-out battle, but that is why we've all got to stay on our guard without fail," ordered Munna.

"Got it, boss! Croa-ka-ka-ka!"

All of the Pokémon then continued their duties to seek me out and stay on guard. Purugly merely gruffed at Toxicroak and remained in her spot. Toxicroak ran around checking that all the subordinates were not slacking off. Munna went somewhere that I couldn't see, presumably to wait for me.

I went back to Hydreigon and explained the situation. He was worried about how badly outnumbered we were but I outlined my plan and he slowly began to relax and grow eager for the rescue.

And so, after some time passed, Hydreigon and I moved into position for the rescue. I climbed as high as I could without getting spotted and found what I was looking for. I then scanned the ground for my target.

"Ahhhhh, crooooak. I'm so booored. Come on already… When are those twerps ever gonna show up, croak?"

"You bullies will never be able to catch Shin."

"Augh! Enough already! I'm sick an' tired of hearing that same line again and again, croak! Just give it a rest already, would ya?!"

The sound of a rock tumbling down echoed in the air, catching Toxicroak's attention.

"Huh? Was that… I think I heard something from over there. Guess I should go check it out."

Toxicroak walked towards where the rock fell and inspected the surroundings.

"Huh? What's this? It's just a stupid little rock that fell down, croak. Don't go scarin' me like th—Urgh!"

I didn't let Toxicroak finish his thought as I jumped and used him to cushion my fall. The force of the landing was enough to knock him out. Luckily no other Pokémon heard Toxicroak's painful cry.

Alright. I've managed to sneak in this far.

"Silvy! I'm here to…"

My sentence was cut short as the cell they were holding her in was empty. To be more precise, a Frism was on the inside of it.

Wh-what's this… A Frism?!

"Heh-heh-heh. It appears you've fallen for our little trick."

That cold voice could only be Munna's. I turned around and wasn't surprised to see her and her goons. But I was still surprised that they had surrounded me in such a short amount of time.

"Ugh, that hurt! Letting myself get hit like that ain't no fun, croak!"

"Heh-heh-heh! You had no idea, did you? That we just recorded Silvy's voice and you were just listening to a Frism."

Munna had a smug look as she drew closer. They all crept closer as a group. Even though I wasn't scared of them, I still couldn't help feel nervous as they drew in closer and closer.

"Give it up. There's no way out of here. Last time you caught us off guard by attacking our Chandelure. You left us all in the dark then, but I'm afraid it's perfectly bright out today. Your old tricks won't work anymore. Heh-heh-heh-heh!"

More evil snickering as they drew closer again.

"Shin! You're not getting away—! Not this time!"

"Nya? But wait a sec… Wasn't Shin…with that annoying Hydreigon fellow?"

Everyone was startled at Purugly's observation. In their moment of glory, they had overlooked the fact that I was alone.

"Indeed!"

"Ma'am! I cannot report seeing Hydreigon anywhere!"

"Where might he have gotten off to?"

"Above us! Look up, croak!"

Everyone, including me, looked up at the sky where Toxicroak was pointing. Hydreigon was coming in fast while glowing at the same time. The glow came from him charging up multiple Dragon Pulses. As soon as they were ready, he let them loose and made Munna and his minions dance in terror. As he drew close, he pulled up and circled around ready to unleash another volley.

As I instructed, he blasted the cage that Silvy was kept in earlier.

Perfect! Now I can see what's in that hole!

I hurried towards the hole and jumped right in after Silvy.

"N-no! Everyone! The prisoner is escaping! Catch Shin! NOW! Ugh! Salamence!"

On call, Salamence roared at Hydreigon and chased after him. Hydreigon did his best to lead Salamence away from the confusion on the ground as he bought time for me to find Silvy.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah… Hydreigon told me before we even entered the Holehills, that these hills were full of caves and that all of the holes were connected some way or another. Silvy was up on that cliff before. I'm sure of that. So now, she must be wherever this cave leads!"

I kept following the tunnel deeper into the mountain. Although there weren't any connecting holes in this tunnel, I still couldn't find Silvy.

"Hah…hah… There she is! It's Silvy!"

It may have been dark in this tunnel, but the figure that was sitting down was definitely Silvy. She must have been bound and as she wasn't moving but still heard me coming.

"Shin…? Is that you, Shin?!"

Oh! She's tied up with some kind of rope or something?

I did my best to release her. With some effort, I managed to untie her.

"Thanks! Now I can move! Let's get outta here!"

"Not much of a reunion, now is it?"

"No time for banter! We still need to escape!"

I didn't need a better argument than that to run. I led her towards the outside and found a cliff waiting for us when we stepped into the light.

"Gah! It's a dead end!"

"Drrriiiiilllllllll!"

Excadrill's battle cry rang before they popped out of the ground. When they appeared, the rest of their gang piled out of the tunnel we had exited.

Roooooaaaawwwwrrrrr!

All of us turned towards where Salamence's roar came from. Instead of expecting Salamence, we saw Hydreigon coming in fast. Salamence was not far behind and gaining on Hydreigon. Instead of joining us in resisting Munna and her minions, Hydreigon used his other two heads to pick us and continue flying forward. I hoped that while flying us out of this place, he wouldn't drop us as a result of evading Salamence. Salamence, upon noticing he was carrying us, decided to get above Hydreigon as we tried to escape. He then performed a full on nose dive at as, hoping to strike us down in one fell strike. Instead of hitting us, at the last second, Hydreigon barreled rolled to the right at the last moment. Salamence missed us by mere inches and ended up violently crashing in the ground below. Taking advantage of Salamence's failure, Hydreigon gave another burst of speed and safely carried us away from Munna.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah… Th-there's…a cliff… Let's just do an…emergency landing there…shall we?"

The cliff Hydreigon set us down was a great distance away from Munna and her gang and Salamance. He must have really been using everything he had to carry us as he was and looked extremely tired from the effort.

"We should be pretty safe here, at least for now. You look like you're having a pretty tough time, though," I said, turning to Hydreigon. Are you OK?"

"You got attacked back there…"

"I'm fine, thank you, miss. It was just a scratch, truly," Hydreigon said, gaining back some of his energy. "I'm sure I'll be fully recovered in no time, if you'll just allow me this short rest. Though I apologize for needing a break when our enemies are still in pursuit."

"No, no. I'm the one who needed rescuing… I'm the one who should be apologizing! I'm so sorry…to both of you. I'm really sorry that you got dragged into harm's way just because I got caught. But…thank you for saving me."

"Silvy…"

I didin't really know what to say to Silvy's guilt. The only thing I could do, was just my hand to her shoulder to show that it was okay. She turned to me with eyes brimming with tears. She hugged in my in both happiness and guilt. It felt awkward to be hugged so suddenly, but I still returned her embrace.

"Oh, but that was nothing at all, miss!" Hydreigon said cheerfully. It was clear he was trying to ease her guilt by brushing off the danger we went through.

Silvy dried her tears and pulled away to address us.

"Well, at any rate…you sure did a great job seeing through Munna's trap! The way she used that Frism…."

"Well, it was a good thing we were very cautious in our approach. And of course Shin's warning was a huge help."

"Shin's warning?"

"Yeah. It was when we were hallway through the Holehills…"

I began explaining my suspicions about the trap. It started with the Frism that we encountered. Hydreigon commented on how rare and precious Frisms were. So when I first saw it, I assumed it belonged to Silvy. I had thought Munna used her Frism and recorded her voice then left it there to taunt us. But after I looked at it more closely, I realized that it wasn't Silvy's. That meant the Frism had to have belong to Munna's gang from the start. Even if Frisms are rare, it seemed possible that if Munna had one, she might have others, too. I knew I had to consider that possibility. If they had other Frisms, then they were going to use them as a lure to draw us out into the open. I then told Hydreigon of my theory of Munna and her Frisms.

"And sure enough, she did just that! What a surprise! I was trying to be quite careful up there on that peak, but if it hadn't been for Shin's warning, I might have been caught myself! Really!"

"Wow. You did it again, Shin. You saw right through their plans. Thanks, Shin."

"Aww… You don't have to thank me. I was just fulfilling my promise."

"Promise?" Silvy asked, confused.

"I promised you I would come running if you were ever in trouble, didn't I?"

"You did promise me that. You kept your promise…"

Silvy lowered her head, hiding her complicated expression. She then just gave me a hug that felt even more awkward than the previous one.

"Uh…Silvy?"

Seemingly finished with embracing me, she then turned away her lightly red tinged face and addressed Hydreigon.

"Oh! Thank you…uh… Sorry. I don't even know your name yet!"

"Oh, is that right? Pardon me! How rude of me not to introduce myself. Well, let me fix that at once! My name is Hydreigon," he said happily.

"What? Hydreigon?!"

"Yes, that's right! Isn't it a lovely name? Nice to meet you, miss. The pleasure's all mine."

I honestly thought Hydreigon believed his name was a beautiful one. It made me wonder why the Voice of Life chose such a terrifying Pokémon to be personified as. I guess the phrase "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder" comes to mind.

"Shin! Is this… THAT Hydreigon?!" Silvy said, surprised.

I nodded in affirmation, nonchalantly.

"Whaaat?!"

Silvy was stunned that the Hydreigon she still believed was the cause of a lot of misery was right in front of her.

"Now that I look, he definitely does have three heads! So this is THE Hydreigon? The violent monster that devours all with its three heads and that no one can stop?!"

"Eek! Where?! That's really scary! …Huh? Are you talking about MEEE?!"

Hydreigon was genuinely afraid of the Pokémon Silvy described. He then realized it was him that was being described. With all the commotion, I had forgotten to explain everything to Silvy.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you still don't know about Hydreigon."

"Oh dear, what a sticky situation. I'm not a bad guy, Silvy! I promise! Right, Shin? Maybe if I explain to Silvy the same way I explained to you… Do you think she'll understand?"

Hydreigon looked towards me for guidance.

"Yeah, she will. I know Silvy will if you just explain, Hydreigon.

"Well, explain it, then. I'm completely lost."

"Of course we can, miss. I understand. Please listen. First of all…"

I took a seat on a rock and Silvy hopped right next to me to get comfortable. Hydreigon cleared his throught and began explaining his origin. He retold his story of existence, he talked about the Bittercold, and he talked about Kyurem. Everything that I had heard from Hydreigon was retold for Silvy to hear.

"What? Kyurem is—?! How could… How could Kyurem do something like that… And Hydreigon is the one who really called Shin to this world to save it?! We were never really sure, but I guess it's true. Shin is here to save our world. The Pokémon world."

"Yes… Shin is a human being. Because of that, I believe Shin will not be affected by the Bittercold. However, the Bittercold is being protected by Kyurem and Munna and the others. Getting past them all to destroy the Bittercold, it will be extremely difficult. But even so, we must do something. If we don't, this world will be destroyed."

"Then…we will. We'll do it somehow!"

After declaring her resolution to Hydreigon, Silvy turned towards me,

" Shin! Let's find a way to destroy that Bittercold! I know I can't get that close to the Bittercold myself so I may not be able to destroy it… But I can still be there to help you do it, Shin! And everyone in the Starlight will help, too! I know it!"

I nodded at Silvy's encouragement. "Let's go! Back to the Great Glacier!"

"Yeah!"

"From what Shin said, it sounds as if we will need the help of the researchers, Umbreon and Espeon, to get there. That is why the two of us were making our way to Paradise."

"Got it. I think that's the best plan too. Let's go back to Paradise!"

"Then let's resume our journey, shall we?"

"You sure? What about your injuries?" I asked.

"Thanks to this rest, I'm feeling much better! And besides, if we stay here too long, we may be spotted by our enemies."

"Got it. Then let's be on our way."

Empowered by her new mission and her need to redeem herself, Silvy volunteered to take point. From the cliff, we climbed down and found ourselves not that far from a desert. Judging from the map Silvy and I looked over, if we crossed the desert, we would be within running distance of Paradise. That was calm before the storm.


	15. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

The desert entrance lay before us. The clouds above moved along lazily, providing scattered sanctuaries of shade. Cacti could be seen in the entrance and one could hope that there would be an oasis to rest if need be. One thing was certain, we needed to get through this desert and we needed to get through it fast.

"Is this the desert?"

"That's right, miss. We have no choice but to go through this desert if we wish to return to Paradise. The sun is very hot and punishing, but there is quite a bit of water here for a desert. I hope the journey won't be too trying."

"But there isn't much to shield us from view," I added. "We will be quite easy to spot as we pass through the dunes."

"I get it. So we've got to get through as fast as we can. We don't stop until night falls!"

The three of us agreed to keep moving until nightfall. As we proceeded forward, I noticed Silvy was lagging behind us. I turned around to walk alongside and ask her what was troubling her.

"Hm? Oh, Shin… … I'm sorry. You got dragged into this mess because I got caught… So you're really here for something like that, huh, Shin? We've heard so much shocking things from Hydreigon today. I'm honestly still pretty muddled up about it all… I really wish we could just sit down and talk about it right now. You and me, Shin. But right now we've got more pressing things to deal with! Let's just get ourselves out of this desert!"

Finally saying her piece, some of her doubt cleared and she ran up next to Hydreigon in order to prevent any further conversation. I didn't know what to say to that. It almost felt like I was being pushed away. But I couldn't dwell on these thoughts. Reaching Paradise was the priority right now.

Hydreigon wasn't kidding when he said the Scorching Desert, as it was called, had plenty of water. There was always at least one oasis in an area. The only problem was that we were not the only ones using it. We would encounter other Pokémon using it as a place of rest or to quench their thirst. Klang, the Gear Pokémon, would float around and act as a sort of sentry to an oasis. Being nothing more than a single gear with a single eye and mouth meshing and rotating with two other faceless gears, this Steel–type was also capable of Electric-type moves. Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokémon, resembled young Pachycephalosaurus only instead of having ridges surrounding the top of their head; they had spikes along the back of the head.

Larvesta and Galvantula were also present in this desert, but somehow that didn't surprise me. The existence of Garbodor, the Trash Heap Pokémon, and Flareon, the Flame Pokémon, did surprise me traversing through here. Garbodor resembled a ripped trash bag that had emptied outs contents to form a poorly made body. The face was a scary addition to the bag and complimented the disturbing appearance of Garbodor. Flareon, another Eevee evolution, represented flame with its blazing red hide and cream colored fur as it pelted us with Ember and Fire Spin.

"Seems the sun is going down," I commented.

"Yes. The temperature has finally started to cool. Thank goodness. I don't do well in heat," Hydreigon added.

"Let's try to find some shelter if we don't make it to Paradise by nightfall," Silvy suggested.

A couple hours more of walking and the sun had finally set. Darkness had come pretty fast and as the moon wasn't out, it was fairly dark

"It's getting quite dark, isn't it?" Hydreigon noted.

"If we don't get out of here soon… Well, let's just try to make it as far as we can," Silvy said.

"Hah…hah… We still…haven't made it out…of the desert?" I asked, tired.

"I believe we are almost through. At least…it doesn't seem anyone is after us any longer. Do you think perhaps that there's no need to be in such a hurry?"

"Whoa! Be careful about saying such things, Hydreigon!" I warned. "Such thoughts only invite trouble."

"You may be right, Shin. We wouldn't want to camp here in the desert."

"O-oh! You two are probably right… Well, I really do think we'll be out of the desert soon. Let's all do our best."

We resumed our walk towards the exit of this desert. The dungeon half of it was over but this desert stretched far more than we thought.

"…Brr… So…cold…"

"Here."

I gently hugged wrapped my arm around Silvy. Although I was getting cold as well, I was more worried for Silvy who had been through worse today.

"Thanks, Shin. Always ready to help, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well…you know…" I said, embarrassed.

Silvy was happy to be comforted. The stars were bright out and every now and then a shooting star would pass by. She just walked without a word for a short distance before it started to get even colder.

"Does it suddenly seem…colder to anyone else?" I asked.

"I believe you are right, Shin. Perhaps it is just because we're in a desert. Deserts are hot during the day and cold at night, aren't they? And yet… It does seem colder than it should be…"

Hydreigon was also concerned over the frigid temperature of the desert. Although I already knew of the drastic temperature change whenever day fell on a desert, something about this cold seem too extreme, even for a desert. I didn't have much time to ponder over it as Hydreigon cried out,

"Ah! Over there!"

"What is it?" Silvy asked.

"I can see a small dune over there. Once we pass that dune, we should be out of the desert, I believe!" Hydreigon said joyfully.

""Really?!""

"Yes! It's only a little farther! Let's push on!"

We were about to give one last push through this desert when suddenly, thunder broke the still of the night. Everyone was surprised by the loud noise in the distance.

What was that? That sound…

We looked around for the origin of the sound but when Silvy looked up, she cried out,

"Wh-what is—?!"

A terrifyingly familiar figure was falling down from the sky. When he landed, the earth shook and we were nearly knocked down on our feat. Hydreigon was the only one who wasn't surprised at this Pokémon's arrival.

"Kyu—"

It's Kyurem!

He let out an earth shaking roar into the night and let out a powerful Ice Beam at Hydreigon. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Hydreigon couldn't even managed to dodge as he was hit directly and encased in ice. Kyurem didn't let either of us react as he charged at Hydreigon and smashed his head at Hydreigon. The ice shattered to pieces and Hydreigon was no more. There wasn't any trace of his existence as the ice dissipated. Only brightly colored shimmers floated up to the sky.

The both of us were too shocked by the horrifying act Kyurem committed. We couldn't move from the spots we were planted in.

H-Hydreigon!

"Hydreigon was—!"

The soulless eyes stared us for merely a second before Hydreigon once again charged and swung his head at me. I couldn't move for the life of me and was utterly hit and stumbled back into the sand. I couldn't move. My vision was blurry from the force of the attack.

"Shin!"

Silvy couldn't do anything either as she watched Kyurem let out another might roar.

"Run for it!"

Those were her last words that I heard as I lost consciousness. Kyurem had walked up to my body lying on the sand and stomped his foot over me, squashing me like a Bug Pokémon. He repeatedly kept stomping on my unconscious body digging me deeper into sand as if this desert was to be my tomb. Silvy kept on looking in terrified horror.

"Shin…r-run…" she said weakly.

Kyurem wasn't satisfied with his work so he kept smashing me deeper into the ground with increasing force. Silvy could only listen to the sickening sounds of Kyurem's foot stomping and stomping.

"Shin… Ugh…"

Stop…

Thump.

Please…stop…

Thump. Thump.

I'm begging you…please…

Thump. Thump. Thump.

"STOP!"

Her cry of defiance gave Silvy the strength to run underneath Kyurem's foot. She alone stood in the way of Kyurem's foot and my battered body.

"Please, I'm begging you! Leave Shin alone! Th-that's my b-best friend! The Pokémon that I…! S-so don't… Please…stop…"

Kyurem merely looked down on Silvy with eyes colder than ice and said, "Ah. You have lost all will to fight. Thus you shall be unable that change the future."

He lowered his foot but still kept his body high to peer at Silvy.

"If you have no will to fight, then I have no need to crush you."

The night air rang out with Kyurem's cry of victory. He then turned around to bid farewell to Silvy.

"You have had a narrow escape this night. Be grateful."

"Wait… Wait just a moment…"

"Excuse me?"

Kyurem began to walk away from us but Silvy stopped him. He turned to Silvy with an omnious expression.

"If things keep going this way…the world will end, won't it? So why… Kyurem, why would you want that sort of future?"

"It is true that I have chosen the path of destruction. And it is a destruction that will soon come to pass. It is only a matter of days now…before the Bittercold will stir. The world is finally rushing towards destruction, its hour come round at last!"

"What?!"

"Still, I shall protect this fate. And you wish to know why? It is because…this world has grown cold."

"The world…has grown cold?"

"That is right. Most Pokémon living in this world are concerned only with themselves. Their distrust of one another. The focus on their own survival and success, thinking of no one else. The shadow of hopelessness and despair that darkens their view of the future. The negativity of each and every one of those Pokémon stagnated and spiraled. While no one paid any heed, it swelled greater and greater until at last… …the Bittercold was born."

Negative emotions gave birth to the world's destruction. That was what Kyurem said.

"The Bittercold has the power to destroy this cold world once and for all and create a new world in its place."

"The Bittercold can do that?!"

"It is because I know this that I do not move to stop this world's destruction."

His gaze turned towards the shattered remains of the ice that Hydreigon was encapsulated in.

"This world is indeed freezing. And Hydreigon's true form… Yes, even the Voice of Life is no different. The Voice of Life is the voice of all things in nature. It is a pretty tale. But in truth, all that means is that it is the voice of this world's selfish creatures, all wanting things their own way. It is nothing more than the self-serving will of this world. Have you seen the lights that rise up into the sky?"

Kyurem posed a question to Silvy.

"The lights that… Ah! You mean—!"

Silvy thought back to that bright day when we both saw the lights in question. The light was very slowly drifting towards the heavens. To some, it appeared to be standing still. Others noticed that it was just moving very slowly.

"We did see a light rising up into the sky when we were in Post Town. But no one around us could say what those lights were…"

"Those lights are humans, once turned into Pokémon, returning to their own world."

"What? Other humans who were turned into Pokémon?!"

"Yes. The humans who were summoned by Hydreigon's message and became Pokémon. Or did you think your Shin was the only one? Countless humans have come here. And I have defeated those humans and sent them back to their human world."

"You…defeated the humans who…"

"No matter how fiercely you struggle, the future cannot be altered. Your fate has been decided since the moment you came into being. It is not something that can be changed. If Shin has no intention of trying to fight that future, I will allow on last human presence to remain in this world. However, if you and your allies still harbor the desire to save this world, then I will crush you with every weapon I possess! The mere scratches you have received this night will be nothing in comparison. Defy me, and you shall face the great pain that all your fellow humans have faced before being expelled from this world! Remember this warning! Engrave it upon your heart!"

With one last might roar of power, Kyurem disappeared in a flash of light. Silvy could finally relax all of her tense muscles.

"Phew… W-we survived…"

She breathed a sigh of relief before turning her full attention to me.

"Aaah! Shin, you—?! Shin! Shin! No! Shin's not even moving! Wh-what should I do?! If I don't do something quick, Shin might—! But, what can I do… I don't… I don't know what to do! Shin! Please tell me what I should do!"

"Ah! There they are! Over there! No, not that way! They're over there!"

Unkown voices startled Silvy into preparing for the worst as she turned to the voices behind her.

"You sure? …Whoa! They really are there! Heeeeeey! You guys!"

"Oh! Emolga! And Dunsparce, too!"

The voices belonged to none other than Dunsparce and Emolga. They had seemed to be out looking for Silvy and Shin and had finally found them.

"Hey! So you two were alright!" Emolga said

"You never came back, so we got really worried, you know!" Dunsparce claimed.

"But how did you… No! We don't have time for this! Please! We've got to get help! Shin needs help!"

Silvy, desperation in her voice and tears in her eyes, begged Emolga and Dunsparce to help as she led them to Shin.

"Gah! You weren't kidding! Dunsparce! Go get everyone over here now!"

"Y-yeah!"

Dusnparce immediately ran in the direction they had come from to get help.

"We can't do anything for Shin here… We've gotta get someplace where we can treat these wounds!"

Silvy only nodded as her tears couldn't stop. Emolga got her to snap out of it long enough to get her to help carry Shin someplace safe and away from the desert.

Mm…Huh?

"Big Brother, wake up! It's already morning!"

"Ugh…what? Morning?"

Sunlight was pouring in from the empty window. Birds were chirping and the sound of cars could be heard in the street outside.

Birds? Cars?

"Where am I?"

"What are you talking about, Shin? You're in the orphanage. Did you forget where you live when you woke up?" a small boy said.

"The…orphanage? But that can't be. I was in the Pokémon world. Where's Silvy?!"

"Silvy? Who's Silvy?"

"You were having a dream. Pokémon don't exist. You're still dreaming, huh?"

I sat in the bed, confused. These children were the same ones I took care of in the orphanage. The boy and girl duo would always wake me up in the morning if I ever overslept.

This can't be right.

Still in denial, I looked at my hands, just like before. They were human; had five fingers; knife scars; tanned complexion. Every sign pointed towards me being human.

"It was all…a dream? Everything…?" I whispered.

"Yes, now come on! Everyone is waiting!"

"We're all hungry and we can't start without you!"

The two children grabbed me from my hands and dragged me out of bed. I didn't even notice that I got dressed quickly. My mind was in a daze, confused whether everything I saw and felt was real or not. Somehow I was led downstairs and into the kitchen. Two adolescent girls were wearing their aprons, hand knitted themselves. I was given the same black apron that had words stitched on the front unskillfully. The children wanted to write words of affection to show their appreciation but without any knowledge or skill, only managed simple words like 'Go', 'Happy', and 'Love'.

"Everything is the same… It was all a dream… I'm doing the same breakfast I do on a Friday; I'm making scrambled eggs, pancakes, freshly squeezed orange juice. Everything, the same."

"Hm? What's that Shin?"

One of the girls assisting me heard me mumbling to myself and asked what was wrong. I said nothing and gave an empty smile. She didn't suspect anything and simply shrugged. Two boys came in and quickly ran back and forth between the kitchen and dining room. They carried off all the dishes that were ready to be served to the children. I prepared one special dish and delivered it to the owner of this orphanage. He didn't even look at me as he snatched the plate and yelled at me to leave his room.

My entire body was numb. Nothing I did felt real to me. The scenery all lost their color to me and nothing had the same vibrancy it had when I was Silvy. One girl noticed me playing with my eggs and quietly asked,

"Shin? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I feel like I'm in a bad dream that I can't wake up from…" I said, not even looking at her.

"Shin? Do you hate us?"

This line suddenly snapped me out of my trance and the both of us locked eyes.

"What?! Don't be absurd, child. I could never hate you!"

"Then why do you look so sad…?"

Her confrontational argument left me at a loss for words. There wasn't much I could do but tell her what I felt.

"Can you keep a secret?"

The girl lightly nodded her head.

"Well, it's because someone I know isn't here."

"Is this person a boy or a girl?"

"Err…a girl."

"Did you two know each other?"

"Not at first. We got to know each other when we spent days going out on adventures."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, very much so. More fun than I thought I could possibly have."

"Do you miss her?"

"….Yes, I do. I miss her a lot."

"Do you love her?"

"Now wait. Where did this come from?" I said, embarrassed.

The girl just looked back at me, eyes unwavering.

"Do you love her?"

Her eyes said she would not back down from the question. She was a girl who was very stubborn and could see through lies easily. I was left with no other choice.

"….Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why aren't you with her?"

"Why am I not with her? Because…because I think I met her in a dream…" I said sadly.

"Do you think she was a dream?"

"I don't—No, I don't think she was. The time I spent with her was very real to me. It could not have been a dream."

"Then why don't you go back to her…?"

"I…I don't know how to—."

Her face, that was usually stoic, lit up and she gave the warmest smile I had ever seen. Then she said,

"All you have to do is wake up."

?!

"Shin…"

Silvy was watching over me. She and Emolga had carried me all the way towards a small pond. Silvy said she would watch over me as Emolga went out to find and lead everyone else towards the them. As she was watching me, Silvy could only hope that I would wake up soon.

"Please wake up. You've become my only family in Paradise. I didn't have anyone until I met you. You're irreplaceable, Shin. Paradise needs you, the world needs you. I need you."

Silvy didn't show any hesitation when she uttered her last phrase. She couldn't force the words out when she stood between Kyurem and I. Now that she was watching over me, she wanted to be honest about her own feelings.

"So please…wake up. I want to tell you 'Good morning' again. I want us to go on adventures like before. I want us to sit and relax together. I don't want to be in Paradise without you…"

"… … …Oh…"

I mumbled, showing that I was beginning to come around.

"Shin? Shin!"

Silvy was excited that I began to speak. She held my hand to show that she was there.

"Mmm…Silvy? Where, where am I?"

"You're safe. Take it easy. Don't get up."

She pressed me back down on the ground as I tried to sit up. I could tell that arguing would get me nowhere so I could only listen to her.

"Are you okay, Silvy? Were you hurt?"

"Idiot. You nearly get crushed by Kyurem and you're worried about me? Oh, Shin…"

Tears began to form in her eyes as she was sincerely happy that I had woken up. She didn't want to show her tear filled face so she tried to wipe them away and compose herself.

"You're going to be okay, Shin. You're awake now so you'll be okay."

"Yeah, I get it Silvy. I'm fine now. I'll be fine. Just allow me to sleep for a bit."

"Okay. I'll continue to look after you then."

"Thanks, Silvy. I…missed…you…" I muttered.

"Shin…what did you say?"

Silvy tried to get me to repeat my last thought, but drowsiness overcame me. I fell asleep quickly and didn't hear what Silvy was saying. Silvy was left wondering what it was I wanted to say as she sat next to me and watched over me. As I slept, I could have sworn I felt something soft on my forehead, but I was too tired to wake up and ask.

"Mmm…"

"Did anyone see that?! It looks like Shin's coming around."

"Everyone! It looks like Shin is waking up!"

I groggily tried to get up. Silvy was supporting me as I stood up and faced everyone.

"Shin! You OK?" she asked.

"Yeah, sort of. I'll be okay."

"It looks like you've recovered alright. Oh, thank goodness…" Silvy said, relief obvious in her face.

I turned to look at everyone surrounding me. Emolga, Dunsparce, Virizion, even Umbreon and Espeon were here. They all had come to see if I was alright.

E-everyone is…

"But…where are we?" I asked.

Emolga was first to answer. "We carried you to a spot where we could get clean water."

"When we got back, Silvy was insistent that she be allowed to care for your wounds. All we could do was guide her so she wouldn't make any mistakes."

"Vrizion…!" cried, clearly red faced

Vrizion merely giggled at Silvy's fluster.

"You seemed to be in quite a bit of pain… And you slept so long that we were all growing worried," Umbreon added.

"But thank goodness you've regained consciousness at last!" Espeon said.

"I was going out of my mind with worry! What if you never woke up? What if you just floated away like the other humans… Just disappearing in a ball of light?!" Silvy said.

"That's right… Kyurem attacked me and… I…I guess I was…saved. All because of Silvy and everyone here. Th-thank you…everyone…"

"No need to thank us, Shin!" Emolga said happily.

"Yeah! We're just glad you're better," Dunsparce added.

"Everything's kind of fuzzy in my memory. If everyone hadn't helped me, then I really might have just up and disappeared."

"I was petrified! I couldn't do anything by myself… If it weren't for everyone showing up like that…"

Silvy began to recount what had happened but she suddenly realized something.

"Which reminds me, how in the world did you guys find us just then? It seems pretty fantastic now that I think about it."

"It probably would," Umbreon said, "It did seem like something out of a fantasy."

"You two were so late in making it back to town, we grew worried. So we decided to go look for you. We were just about to set out for Mount Kilionea when…we heard a voice," Virizion explained.

"A voice…?" I asked.

"Yeah. A voice telling us to go to Scorching Desert. I know it sounds strange, but we heard it out of nowhere." Umbreon said.

"It wasn't just them. All of us here heard it. So then we all talked it over and we decided to believe in that voice and check out the desert instead," Dunsparce said.

"Once we got to the desert, we split up into groups. Dunsparce and I ended up together, of course. And while we were searching, this sparkling light floated across our path, like it wanted us to follow. And when we did, we spotted Silvy. You've got no idea how shocked we were!" Emolga explained.

"It was like little particles of sparkling, rainbow light. It was really beautiful."

"Sparkling…rainbow light? Shin! Doesn't that sound like—?"

"Yeah, it does. When Kyurem crushed Hydreigon's frozen form, it exploded into sparkling, rainbow lights and disappeared."

"Maybe it really was Hydreigon who led everybody to us. Maybe it was the Voice of Life."

"You said the Voice of Life is the voice of everything in this world, didn't you? If that is truly the force that guided us, it would suggest that, even after its physical form was destroyed, the Voice of life might still be hoping that we will save this world," Espeon hypothesized.

I looked over towards Silvy,

"You explained everything to everyone?"

"Yes, while we took care of you, I told everyone of what had happened to us."

"I see. Thanks for filling everyone in."

Silvy and I had our own conversation as Umbreon continued talking to Espeon about theire theory of the Voice of Life.

"That may be so, but when you think about what Silvy heard from Kyurem, it's because of the selfishness of all Pokémon that the world is growing cold, right? Even Hydreigon said it was Pokémon's negativity that created the Bittercold, so it's probably true. And if it is true, then even if we manage to destroy the Bittercold, nothing's really gonna change, is it? The way the world is now, the strife among Pokémon won't stop. The future is looks bleak, and everyone's feeling the same unease about it. As long as those negative emotions keep on stifiling the world, even if we destroy the Bittercold, it will simply be created again, don't you think? I kind of understand what Kyurem mean when he said the future can't be changed," Umbreon said, gloomily.

Angry, Emolga countered, "What are you saying, Umbreon?! Our world is gonna get destroyed, and you're just fine with that?!"

Umbreon was just as angry with Emolga's accusation. "Of course not! I just said I understand how Kyurem feels, because there's nothing we can do!"

"What's with that attitude? You talk like this doesn't even concern you!"

"Well then, let me ask you, Emolga… Have you really never thought the same thing yourself? You've never thought this world is messed up beyond any hope? You've really never thought it'd be better to just start over from scratch? Even you must have felt that way sometimes, right?"

Confronted with a truth that most cannot deny, the wind was knocked out of Emolga's sails. "Wha—!"

"It's true… If it really is the bitter hearts of Pokémon causing the world to grow cold, then we might not be able to change the fate of the world. We may not be able to prevent its destruction," Espeon said depressingly.

"Espeon!"

"I don't want to give up. I don't want to, but…I also can't deny that there is something wrong with the world. If I try to think about how we could ever change things or what it is I should do, I honestly have no idea where to find any answers. It might turn out that we just can't do a thing to change the way the world is. If that's true…I don't like to thing it, but maybe there really is no way forward except for everything to…start again…" Virizon said, her voice filled with hopelessness.

"Virizon! You, too?! I…I don't understand any of you! I don't get that at all! Silvy! What do you think? Do you agree with all this?!"

Everyone else had seemed to have given up before even trying to stop the impending destruction. Emolga, being surrounded with nothing but hopelessness, turned to Silvy for help.

"I… When I saw Kyurem hurting Shin, I got really scared."

"S-scared…?"

"Kyurem warned us. He said that if Shin kept trying to save this world, he said he'd destroy Shin if that happened! I don't want to have to watch Shin getting hurt again… I got scared… I lost my nerve…"

Silvy was looking at me with downcast eyes. I could tell her mind was filled of images of my suffering at the hands of Kyurem.

"Silvy…"

"…Silvy…"

"But… Shin… I'm sorry. I don't ever want to see you get hurt again, but… But even more than that…I just can't accept this! I don't really like how dark the world has become. I built Paradise…because I wanted friends I could trust, friends who could trust me. And then you all… You all joined me..."

Silvy came up to me and held both my hands and stared at me.

"Even if this world is full of Pokémon who deceive and lie to one another… I know I can at least depend on all of you to understand me. And yet, now, when we should all be looking forward to the future, to hear that I'm gonna lose you all because of some stupid bad emotions, I can't accept that!"

Her defiance of this world's judgment rang in everyone's ears.

Silvy…

"What about you, Virizon? I know you lost faith in the world when you saw that letter from Keldeo. Is that still how you feel? Have you still not remembered how it feels to trust?" Silvy asked.

"… … …"

"And you, Umbreon and Espeon. What do you think about being part of our team? Dunsparce? Emolga? How about you? I know you're all important to me! You are what I care about most in this world! Trusting one another, everyone pitching in to help one another. That power that is noble enough to move even the hardest of hearts. That's what I've learned…from Shin! And from all of you! There's just no way I can accept losing you all now! Sniff…sniff…"

Her words were the deep honest truth. She poured her entire soul into her speech and outright proclaimed her defiance. She didn't want to lose anything precious and everything precious to her were the members of Paradise. Us.

"What does everyone else say? Silvy here believes in all of us. She's been with us since the beginning and has seen the best and worst in all of us and Pokémon world. Can all of you say that Silvy's speech didn't resonate with any one of you? Are you all willing to let Kyurem decide what our fates going to be?! I'm not going to accept Kyurem's choice. I'm going to believe in a tomorrow. I'll believe in a chance where we can continue being together!"

"Silvy…Shin… And Emolga, too… I'm sorry. I think that's exactly right."

"Umbreon!" Emolga cried.

"Never mind what the rest of the world is like—we all still believe in one another! I nearly…lost sight of that. And it's not like we're all that special. There must be other Pokémon out there who still trust one another. Not every Pokémon in the world can be looking for a fight."

"Umbreon!" Silvy said happily.

"What we need to do is simply spread this feeling among other Pokémon. If the road to destruction was paved by the bad feelings of individual Pokémon, then if those Pokémon change their mind-set and faith in one another continues to spread, then we might be able to make this a better world," Espeon declared.

"Espeon!"

"That's right. Up until recently, I had lost faith in the world, but even I could change. There shouldn't be any reason why other Pokémon can't do the same. If everyone could just stay positive and hold on to hope…" Virizon hoped.

"Virizon!"

"I'm definitely not going to lose heart!" Dunsparce yelled.

"That's right! There's no way I could give up now!" Emolga said proudly.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Silvy. I refuse to let our Paradise be destroyed. I won't let our effort be for nothing! We will stop Kyurem!"

"Shin… Dunsparce! Emolga! Thanks, everyone! I knew you guys would get it. That's why we're the Starlight!" Silvy said.

We all gave a rousing cheer to lift our spirits and renew our determination.

"Silvy! Let's head back to Post Town! We'll get everyone together in town square and tell them everything!" I suggested.

"I'm sure if we tell them the truth they'll understand and work together with us!" Dusnparce added.

"You're right. Let's do it! It may be impossible to expect everyone to feel exactly like we do, but hopefully we can at least get some of the Pokémon to change after hearing the truth."

Silvy then faced me again.

"Shin. I want to save this world. But none of us can get anywhere near the Bittercold. If we can't to destroy the Bittercold, Shin, we need your strength—a human's strength. But you might have to face Kyurem again. Even knowing that…will you fight with us?"

"I've been ready do this since I first learned of the Bittercold! Hydreigon summoned me here to save this world. And if I don't do that…this world will disappear—and all of you, too. That's why I've got to do it!"

"Thanks, Shin! I feel bad asking you…after everything that's already happened… But you're the only one we can count on, Shin."

"Shin! Thank you!" Dunsparce said.

"You're really something, Shin! Even after getting knocked around like that, you're still ready to fight with us!" Emolga complimented. "There's no way we're gonna lose with that heart of yours!"

"I think it takes a lot of guts to stand up to Kyurem again. Thank you for taking this chance, Shin." Umbreon said gratefully.

"Umbreon and I will be supporting you in any way we can!" Espeon added.

"I'll have your back, Shin! No matter what comes! So you just focus on your battles without any worries, you know?" Virizion said calmly.

"You guys… Alright! Then let's get back to Paradise! Kyurem said that destruction isn't far off! So we've got to hurry back to Post Town and tell everyone the truth! If everyone can come together on this…we'll be able to fight for our future! It's not too late… We can still start over! That's why we've got to do our best and not give up!" I declared resolutely.

"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!"

That's right! We're not finished yet. Pokémon can still start over. That's what I believe!


	16. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

The Starlight hurried back to Paradise. By the time we arrived, night had fallen over the town. We decided we would tell everyone in town what we'd learned the next day.

"Morning, Shin! Today's the day we've gotta tell everyone about the danger the world is in. I hope they understand…"

"I'm sure they will. They've got to, right?"

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

We weren't the only ones ready to divulge everything. Everyone was waiting for us outside our home.

"Morning, everyone!" Silvy said.

"Good morning, Shin! Morning, Silvy!" Virizion greeted.

"Well, the time's finally come," Emolga stated.

"Do your best, Silvy!" Dunsparce cheered.

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous. But I've got Shin on my side, so I'm gonna go and tell them everything."

It was decided on our way back yesterday that Silvy would be the one to tell Post Town the news. Silvy's speech touched everyone's hearts and brought everyone back from their sense of hopelessness. If she could convince us to not give up, she was capable of convincing all of Post Town.

"We'll be there and watching."

"We're behind you all the way."

Umbreon and Espeon supported Silvy. Everyone was rooting for her.

"I"d guess everyone will be shocked at first, but I have no doubt you'll convince them of the truth, Silvy. You'll get across them," Virizion said confidently.

"Yeah. Thanks! So we'll be going now!"

Silvy thanked everyone with a smile on her face. Outwardly, she didn't show any signs of nervousness.

"Good luuuuuck!"

We walked towards Post Town as Emolga yelled his best wishes.

"You're going to be okay, Silvy?" I asked.

"I'll be okay. Though, I may look confident on the outside, I am pretty nervous talking to all of Post Town."

"That's okay. I imagine many great leaders were nervous on the inside but still looked confident."

"There you go again, making me out as a leader," Silvy pouted. "I could never be a great leader. If anyone, you should be the leader. More like you are the leader of Starlight."

"No, I don't think so. I can't be a leader for all of Starlight. I think I'm better off being your right-hand guy. A leader has to be able to be charismatic and be able to protect what they hold dear. I can do the latter, but I don't consider myself charismatic."

"No! Don't say that! You're definitely charismatic. You've saved us a number of times in our adventures."

"Mmm… I did, didn't I? It's not the same, though. What you're about to do? Talk to all of Post Town? That's what leaders do. You're about to change the mindset of the Pokémon that live there. And only you can do it. That's why we picked you, Silvy. I may be able to destroy the Bittercold, but without you, the cycle would just repeat."

We made it to the crossroads and stepped in the direction of Post Town. As we made towards town, Silvy suddenly stopped.

"Do you think we'll be able to convince anyone…?"

I turned around only to see her show a melancholic look. I walked back to her, place my hands in hers and said,

"Hey, you'll be fine. You said it yourself. As long as I'm with you, you'll be okay. Everyone else is supporting you, so don't go doubting yourself. What happened to all that vigor you had back home?"

"Yeah…yeah! You're right, Shin! I'm not going to back down now. Thank you."

She gave me a hug and thanked me again before showing a smile to me. She asked to continue holding hands as she said that my warmth would give strength. Together, we made our way into town.

Meanwhile, the town went was preparing for the news that Silvy was bringing.

"Signora Swannaaa! I came over to play! I'm starving here! Gimme something to eat, wouldja? …Huh? No customers today?" Rufflet said.

"Why would there be customers when we're closed? Didn't you hear? Silvy and Shind said they have something important to tell everyone. They want as many Pokémon as possible to come hear it. I was just about to head to the town square myself. That's why I'm closing up for the day. Now, off with you," Swanna said.

"Hey, what? That's not nice! But what could be that important for us to hear? I'm kinda curious now…" Rufflet wondered. "Maybe I'll go check it out, too.

"Sorry, I kept you two waiting. Still no new ideas about what this important talk could be regarding?" Patrat asked.

"No idea," Ducklett answered.

"I dinnae ken. We'd best go and find out, aye?" Herdier suggested.

"Huh? Where's everybody wandering off to together? Something going on?" Roggenrola wondered.

"There's apparently some important talk in the town square today," answered one Timburr.

"An important talk? What's that supposed to mean?"

"No idea. But it seems like we oughta go hear it anyway. You should probably come, too, if you know what's good for you," the other Timburr responded.

"I…I guess I should!"

The constant splash of the waterfall was behind us as we faced all the Pokémon that came to hear Silvy out. There were so many Pokémon that I wondered if all of them would be able to hear Silvy talk.

"A lot of Pokémon showed up, huh?"

"Yeah. Here's hoping some of them will believe you."

"Shin…"

"Hang in there, Silvy! I'll be right here."

"OK. Everybody! Listen up!"

"Huh?"

"Looks like it's starting."

The audience began quieting down once they heard Silvy call out for silence and attention.

"Everyone… I brought you here today to tell you about what's happening to our world…and about the danger our world is in!"

Her seriousness and her declaration began to unnerve a lot of the audience.

"The world's in danger?!"

"Some of this may be shocking to hear, but… I need you all to just stay calm and listen, OK? First of all…"

Silvy then began to tell of the story of Kyurem. She told me all about the Bittercold and how it was formed and told them of how it was leading us to our destruction.

""WHAAAAAAAAT?!""

"The world is…gonna disappear?!"

"This Bittercold thing is gonna keep getting bigger…and then destroy the whole world?!"

"And worst of all—you say we created this Bittercold ourselves! With our own negativity!"

""WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"" 

Everyone began panicking. They talked amongst themselves in a cacophonous racket, worrying about what to do. Some even began blaming others for the unfortunate fate they were about to meet. I tried to settle everyone down as best I could.

"Hey, wait! Everyone! She's not done yet! You need to listen to the rest!"

Everyone seemed to have snapped out of it and gathered their attention to me nervously. I coaxed Silvy to continue.

"It's true that a great threat is hanging over our world right now… But it's gonna be OK! We'll definitely find a way to beat this!"

"H…how?"

"Like I said, this Bittercold is being fed by the negative feelings of us Pokémon. So if everyone could just change their hearts instead… If everyone would trust one another, help one another. If you all looked forward to the future…and filled your hearts with the wish to live, then we should be able to stop that Bittercold from growing any larger! And we could use that chance to go and destroy it! That's how we'll overcome this disaster! It's not too late for us to change things! So please, everybody! Let's all pull together!"

Everyone began looking at each other, unsure of what to think. Some had looks in their eyes that said they didn't believe any of this could be possible. Others had the same eyes full of hopelessness that Virizion, Umbreon, and Espeon once had.

"If everyone just works together, I know we can do this! Let's give it our all!"

"You… You say you'll destroy the Bittercold, but Kyurem is guarding it, right? Can you…actually beat him?"

This question made Silvy waver. "W-well… We'll just have to get to the Bittercold without having to fight Kyurem!"

"I dunno… You think that's gonna work?" Scraggy asked, doubtful.

"Yeah, I don't think things'll go that easy," another said.

"A-and besides… Kyurem can see the future, can't he? If Kyurem himself has seen the future of the world ending, doesn't that mean fate can't be changed? Then...it's already too late…"

"Wha—!"

"That's right… It's probably too late. That's what Kyurem's saying, right? In the end, fate is just…something that can't be changed."

"E-everyone is… Why are all so…" I muttered.

"That's it! If the world's just gonna end anyway, shouldn't we just do whatever we want?!" one cried out.

"Oh! Good point, blockhead! At least we'll enjoy the time we've got left! If we're all doomed anyway, we might as well have a good time!"

Hysterical selfishness began brewing in the hearts of Pokémon. This was exactly the type of negativity that gave birth to the Bittercold. This atrocious display of selfishness only empowered the Bittercold and would spread to others, like a virus.

"Shin…"

"Never mind standing against the danger… They're just running from the truth! The world has been dark for so long, hope is all gone… Everyone already feels that trying hard wont' get you anything. And so they simply give up," I observed, shocked.

"But then, what can we…" Silvy started.

Before Silvy could finish, an earthquake started everyone and panic ensued.

"Aaah! An earthquake?!"

"Nooooo!"

"Och! What is it? What's happenin' now?!"

"M-maybe we'll see something from the hill!"

The whole town ran frantically to top of the hill in order to see what the cause of the earthquake was. What they saw, what we saw, struck terror in everyone.

"You guys! The mirage—! Something's happening in the mirage!"

"Wh-what in the world is that thing?! Is that…?"

"Could it be—the Great Glacier?!"

"B-but it's floating! Glaciers don't normally float in the air, do they?!"

"And besides, did the Great Glacier always look like that thing? I don't think it was all spiky like that before, right?"

What everyone was staring at was the small spectacle that was out in the direction of the Great Glacier. Something was floating high above it, but it had no resemblance to a glacier at all. Jagged fragments, crystals, could be seen orbiting around the palace. Others were floating still, as if guarding all entry to it.

"I-it's…the Glacier Palace… The Glacier Palace has lifted off…" Silvy said, stunned.

"A Glacier Palace, ye say? How could… Yer head's full o' nonsense!"

"No. The Bittercold can make things around it levitate. I may be wrong, but if the Bittercold's effect on gravity gets strong as it gets bigger, then it might now be strong enough to make the entire Glacier Palace that contains it float into the air!" I theorized.

"Are—are ye fair certain?! Silvy! We need the truth from ye! That… It cannae be…"

"It's just as Kyurem said… It won't be long now…before the end. Within days, the Bittercold will begin to move… The hour of destruction is coming, or so Kyurem said."

Everybody was greatly alarmed by this announcement. Some even went pale with terror.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"When the Bittercold…begins to move…"

"…the world is gonna…be destroyed!?"

Everybody was visibly shaking at this hope crushing conclusion. No one was composed anymore. Their thoughts were readable everywhere on their faces.

"Y-you guys… Hold on…" I said, attempting to calm them.

"Nooo! The world is—!"

"The world is—IT'S ALL OVER!"

""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!""

That last line was the fuse that lit the powder. Everyone ran away screaming down the hill. Everyone except one. A lone Pokémon stood there very much composed.

"E-everyone…"

"Oh, honestly. It's always the ones that act the toughest who lose every last hint of backbone when it is truly needed. What a pathetic bunch. Though, I suppose you can't blame them. After all, the world is ending… But… I'm on your side, at least. I'll always be behind you. So don't give up. Give it all you have!" Swanna said encouragingly.

"Swanna… Thank you… Thank you so much," Silvy said with tears in her eyes.

"However, the real question is what you do now."

"… … …"

With nothing left to be done, we returned to Paradise. There was still plenty of time before the agreed upon rendezvous to discuss our next move. Silvy looked depressed about the near failure of a speech so I let her have some space. I went to the facilities of Paradise and spent the time training for the upcoming battle between and Kyurem's minions. When night fell, I returned to see that everyone had gathered and were waiting for me. The meeting then began.

"So in the end, Swann was the only one who even stayed…" Emolga said sadly.

"…We're gonna be fighting an uphill battle on this one," Umbreon said grimly.

"I wonder how we can get them to understand…" Espeon wondered.

"I'm sorry everybody… I tried to explain it all, but it looks like I failed… It's my fault…"

"That's not true! I think you did real good!" Emolga objected.

"That's right! It wasn't your fault they didn't listen, Silvy!" Dunsparce insisted.

"But still… Why can't they just try? Just a little? Yeah, maybe the world could be ending but if you just give up without trying, how is that gonna help?" Emolga said, frustrated.

"I think everyone just knows that things don't always work out in the real world. No matter how hard you try, things can't always be fixed..." Virizon observed.

"And the simple act of trying sometimes makes things far worse. I think everyone has had such experiences. And when you experience that kind of letdown again and again…" I added.

"After a while, whenever anything happens, you find yourself thinking: 'Trying just makes everything hurt worse. What's the point in trying, then?' Deciding from the very start that there's nothing you can do is easier. It hurts less. All those experiences of failure and disappointment, they put the brakes on any positive thought you might have. Negativity gets so deep into your heart, and it's difficult to get it out again…" Virizon explained.

"Yeah… It's gotta be tough to change something that's so ingrained in someone. Well, if this place is no good, then maybe we could try another town! …No, I thought that might work, but if every Pokémon in the world has the same feelings, then even if we go somewhere else, it'll probably end up the same in the end, huh? …I guess… Maybe it really is just impossible…to change another Pokémon' heart…" Emolga said, eyes downcast.

"… … …"

"Then all we can do…is sit here and wait for the end…"

"… … …"

"The fact that Swanna was the one and only Pokémon to stand by us… It sure is…a lonely feeling, huh?"

"… … …"

"That's enough! I refuse to let us go back to the same feeling of hopelessness we had before! I'm not going to sit here and watch all admit defeat. Swann was not the only one to believe in us! There has to be more! If we give up now, who will—" I yelled.

"P-pardon the intrusion!"

This new voice got our attention as it belonged to neither of us.

"Um… Can I come in?"

"Go right ahead," I answered.

"Lillipup! What's happened?" Dunsparce asked.

"Um, you see… About how I got scared and ran away when we were all up on the hill. I'm sorry! But I really don't want our world to disappear! I don't want Swadloon and my granddad to disappear! I still want to live! I still want to fight! So please tell me—! I want to do something, but…what should I do?"

"Lillipup!" I said, tears began to well in my eyes.

"Lillipup, you—!"

Everyone turned around and looked at me and then each other.

"See everyone? Silvy's speech wasn't for nothing! Even if all the Pokémon around her were giving up, there was still a Pokémon who heard Silvy's pleas. He's right here."

Everyone turned their heads away for a moment, ashamed that once again, they lost hope just when they resigned to believe until the end. Silvy herself was crying tears of joy that one more Pokémon believed in her.

"You want to know what you need to do? Be brave! Have the courage to stand up and face whatever the future might bring you!" I said.

"Be brave! Right! I've just gotta be brave! Thanks, Mister Shin! Thank you, Miss Silvy, for giving me hope in tomorrow!"

Lillipup turned around and yelled for his grandfather, Herdier.

"Granddaaaad!"

He ran out the door. All of us were wondering if he was outside so we decided to check for ourselves. Herdier was not the only one who was waiting for Lillipup.

"E-everyone…" Silvy said, amazed.

"Starlight… I'm embarrassed, and that's fair certain. The way I lost me head and ran… The wee bairn there had more sense than me, and there's no excuse. I've lived a good, long life, indeed. Long enough that seeing it end doesnae worry me overmuch. Whether or no I disappear, that shouldnae matter a whit. But…"

Herdier turned his gaze towards Swadloon and Lillipup, the children.

"These wee bairns… The little ones still have long lives ahead o' them. For their sakes…I reckon it's me duty tae dive right into this fight."

"Herdier!" Emolga said, touched.

"I am frightened to stand up against such a future, but…I am also a mother. When I think of the children… When I think that they might lose their future… There is simply no way I can give up," Leavanny said.

"There may be too many Pokémon in this world who think only of themselves. But even if you only care about yourself, isn't it obvious what has to be done? Of course I'll help. I'll do everything I can," Swanna said matter-of-factly.

"Leavanny! And Swanna, you, too!" Silvy said gratefully.

"Looks like it was a bit early to give up on the world!" Emolga said happily.

"Now if we can just spread this feeling among the other Pokémon," Espeon hoped.

"We can do it! If everyone just stands together! If we can just stand up to the future without giving in to despair!" I said, encouragingly.

"Ye just need the others tae feel the same way as we do, aye?" Herdier asked.

"Then I will also do my best to persuade the others to have hope!" Leavanny chimed.

"Yeah! If you do that, then all of the Starlight… We will storm the Glacier Palace and destroy the Bittercold! Anyone left behind should try to persuade more Pokémon to believe in us. Even one. We've got to go around convincing everyone to stay positive about the future! If we do that… Ah!"

Silvy was outlining her plan until she suddenly realized something.

"What's wrong, Silvy?" I asked.

"I-I'd forgotten… The Glacier Palace is floating up in the sky now…"

"That's right! We can't just walk there if it's in the sky!" Dunsparce noted.

"Now how are we gonna get up there?" Silvy said in dismay.

"That should be obvious, Silvy. Umbreon?"

I cued Umbreon to fill us in on his plan.

"You know, Silvy, we've been thinking about that. It won't be easy. That's for sure. We've already considered using the Entercards, of course… But with our knowledge of the Entercards, we honestly aren't capable of that yet. Still, Espeon and I have talked it over, and…"

"There might just be a chance," Espeon finished.

"A chance? For what?" Silvy asked.

"I'm not sure yet. This in only what you might call intuition, but I think it's worth following up on. After all, we still haven't thought of any other way to get there." Espeon concluded.

"If there's even a small chance that Espeon's right, then I think we need to risk it," Vrizion commented.

"OK. I'm all for it," Silvy said, accepting the hunch.

"Good. Then Espeon and I, we'll start trying to find a way to reach the Glacier Palace. But we'll run out of time if you wait for us to make it back before setting out. So let's plan to meet up somewhere in the middle," Umbreon suggested.

"We'll give you the Entercards that got us to the Great Glacier before."

Umbreon and Espeon both walked up to Silvy and handed her their sets of Entercards.

"You've seen us summon the Magnagate enough times to wing it, haven't you?" Espeon asked.

"Uh… S-sure. Probably," Silvy answered with an awkward smile.

"Use those cards to reach Great Glacier. We'll meet you there. Let's go, Espeon," Umbreon began.

"Let's all do our best!" Espeon agreed.

After that, Umbreon and Espeon went on their way to who knows where. They were certain on following their hunch so they left the rest to us as they went their separate way.

"Seems mighty rash tae be settin' off in the dark o' night like this… But I suppose we've bigger concerns, aye?"

"Do you think we should head out at once, too, Shin?"

"No, let's wait for morning. We want to be sure we're fully prepared," I said.

"It seems like Umbreon and Espeon were prepared already for where they're going. They're both pretty light travelers, you know. But we have Shin with us, so we need to be ready. We can't forget that Kyurem might attack us if we're traveling with Shin. We'd better be ready for anything," Virizion warned.

"Got it. Then we set out tomorrow!" Silvy ordered.

"I'm going, too!" Emolga said.

"And me," Virizon added.

"I…I'll be staying here," Dunsparce announced.

Everyone was surprised at Dunsparce shocking decision.

"Dunspare!" Emolga began.

"No, Emolga! I'm not afraid. Not this time. If there was nothing I could do here, I would definitely go with you all. But convincing the other Pokémon to keep hope is an important job right now, isn't it? I think it's going to take time for the message to spread. So we have to reach as many Pokémon as we can, as quickly as possible. That's why I'm going to stay here this time and do what I can!" Dunsparce said enthusiastically.

"Dunsparce!"

"Alright. We understand, Dunsparce! You do your best to persuade everyone else to believe in the future!" Silvy said.

"I will!"

"Alright! Then, everybody… Tomorrow's the day! Let's do it!" I announced.

""YEAAAAAHHH!""

Today was the day we were to depart to the Glacier Palace. As such, we woke up early in order to make sure we were ready to depart. Silvy went up to the hill with Emolga to get in some more practice for summoning the Magnagate. Silvy left me to do any last minute prepping we may need for the journey. I still had plenty of time to kill so I decided to spend a little time sparring in the Electric dojo.

"You're open, Shin!"

"Not gonna happen!"

I narrowly dodged Blitzle's Flame Dodge. The caretaker of the Electric Dogo was a Blitzle that owed Gurdurr his gratitude for helping him in the past. To repay Gurdurr, he gladly accepted the job of watching over the Electric dojo. I asked him to for some early morning practice and he accepted. Even though Blitzle is an Electric type, he still new moves types besides Electric. His Flame Charge was one such move.

"Try and dodge this!"

"Kuh?!"

The side effect of using Flame Charge was that it raised the users speed. Using it continuously would raise Blitze's speed to the point where I wouldn't be able to dodge. Now that his speed was raised, he closed in alarmingly fast and used Stomp. I managed to dodge only to see a small crater where I previously stood.

"Running, away?" Blitzle mocked.

"Grr…"

I charged at him and used Quick Attack to deal a blow before he could react. Predicting my intention, Blitzle deftly dodged the move and retaliated with Thundershock.

"Guuah!"

Even though Electric-type moves are not effective on me, being used by a dojo master still had quite an impact.

"You're too focused on Electric-type moves! If you want to have any chance of lasting more than a minute against Kyurem, you need more variety!"

"I have Quick Attack! Isn't that enough?!"

"Normal-type moves won't deal significant damage against an Ice and Dragon-type. Your Electric types may be strong, but if you can't deal enough damage, you're going to be locked in a battle of attrition, with you on the losing end."

"Rrgh…"

Blitzle was right. Training my Electric-type moves would not be enough. With Blitzle's help, I had developed my moves into a superb quality. The battle we just had was simply sparring. Even so, if my main output was Electricity, I won't be able to support Silvy and the others. I needed something else…! But what?!

"Talk to Scraggy. He should be able to help."

Seeing the frustration in my face, Blitzle kindly offered me a suggestion.

I looked at him dubiously. "What can Scraggy do? All he does is reteach the moves I learned previously."

"That may be so, but your teams in Paradise were out adventuring while you and Silvy were away. Perhaps he has something your team retrieved that will aide you."

Leaving behind these cryptic words, Blitzle bowed his head and quietly left the dojo, leaving me alone.

What can Scraggy possibly have? It's not like he has an item that can teach me a move…

I had nothing to lose so I wandered over to Scraggy's Savvy Moves in hopes of learning what Blitzle meant by his words.

Walking towards the hill was an eerily quiet venture. Many Pokémon locked themselves inside their homes, for whatever help it did, and others manned their shops, preferring to work rather than agonize. Post Town wasn't this quiet when I first arrived so seeing like this was unsettling as I found Silvy and Emolga tinkering with the cards.

"Ah! Hey, Shin! You ready to go?" she asked.

"Anytime," I said.

"Things are probably gonna be pretty rough this time, you know. We should all be extra careful in our prep. You sure you're ready?"

"Yeah. I went over everyone's bags and double-checked again to be sure. I'm ready," I asserted.

"Alright! The we're gonna summon the Magnagate!"

Silvy nodded towards Emolga and they both began placing the cards in their positions.

"Sorry we're late!"

Dunsparce and Virzion had showed up just in time to see Silvy and Emolga open the Magnagate. Just like before, the air suddenly shifted as the light faded and the rings began forming on the ground. The rings in the air began piling and rotating, signaling the gate was ready to be entered.

"Phew. Thank goodness… Nothing went wrong!" Sivly sighed.

"Ahhhhh… I was way nervous, you guys! I don't ever want to touch another Entercard!" Emolga said.

"But we were able to summon a real Magnagate thanks to you, Emolga! Shin! Virizon! Let's go! We're going back! Back to the Great Glacier!"

Silvy thanked Emolga for his part in summoning the Magnagate and then motioned for us to enter the gate. It was time to go back to the Great Glacier.

"Everyone… Do your best out there! And… Come back home safe, OK?" Dunsparce said.

"Don't worry! You just wait here for us, OK? We've switched places from last time, huh, Dunsparce? This time I'll be the oe going to the Great Glacier!" Emolga said cheerfully.

"Haha… That's true." Dunsparce said tearfully.

"I'll bring you back an awesome souvenir! Count on it!" Emolga promised.

"Yeah! A really big one! Go and break the Bittercold for all of us!"

"You do your best, too, Dunsparce! Convince everyone to believe! I think it will be a great challenge, but if anyone can do it…it's you, Dunsparce," Virizon said.

"Yeah! Thanks! You be careful, too, Virizion! You all have to come back safely!"

"Alright, here we go!" I said.

I led everyone into the gate and turned around to face Dunsparce.

"The rest is up to you, Dunsparce!"

The final words signaled the gate to transport us to the Mystery Dungeon and close the gate behind us.

"Everyone… Go out there and win!"


	17. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

"Huh? Is it just me or does it seem a bit different around here?" Silvy wondered.

What Silvy was talking about was the Mystery Dungeon that we were in. In theory, the same dungeon should have been made that was exactly like the previous one we used in order to reach the Great Glacier. This dungeon seemed darker, as if violet miasma permeated every inch of this place.

"Could this be…a completely different dungeon?" I asked.

"Ugh… Did we mess up with the Entercards after all?" Emolga said.

"If we did, this dungeon might lead someplace totally different! We might never reach the Great Glacier!" Silvy said, panicking.

"I don't think we need to worry about that. If the Entercards were really that difficult to use, I'm sure Umbreon and Espeon would have given us more instructions. At a guess, I'd say that all these changes..." Virizion said calmly.

"…are due to the influence of the Glacier Palace," I realized.

"Either way, we might as well go ahead and check it out," Virizon said, nodding at me.

Virizion was cueing me to take charge of us and lead us through the new dungeon. I wasn't about to let a new dungeon stop my mission. We were going to get through and we were going to get to the Great Glacier.

"Virizion, take this!"

Virizion looked my way as I tossed the Oran Berry to her. She caught the berry and ate, restoring her health. She was in a pinch facing off against a Galvantula on her own. The rest of us were busy against a Carracosta and a Beartic, the Freezing Pokémon. Although Emolga, Silvy and I were strong against Carracosta, Beartic was aiding it as it struggled against us. We were doing fine by until Galvantula attacked us from behind, presumably lured by the battle against Carracosta and Beartic. Virizion told us to handle the other two but because Galvantula knew Bug moves, Virizon was beginning to be pushed back. I tossed the Oran Berry to help her as I could see she was showing signs of fatigue.

"Thank you, Shin!"

Empowered by the berry, she fought back against Galvantula and began turning the tables. As for us, Carracosta was finally downed thanks to Emolga and Silvy, but the Beartic hit both them as soon as Carracosta fell with an Icicle Crash. Drawing ambient energy in the air, Beartic formed icicles in front of its mouth and launched them at Silvy and Emolga. The Ice-type move dealt heavy damage to the both them as they were both weak to Ice.

"Don't forget about me, Beartic!"

I cried out in order to get Beartic's attention. The large polar bear with an icicle beard glanced at me, but had not completely decided to focus on me. To make sure his fury would direct to me, I let out a Thunderbolt and dealt a good amount of damage.

"Rrraaaawh!"

Pain and rage could be felt in Beartic's roar. Not missing a beat, Emolga let loose his Shockwave, not only damaging Beartic, but also Galvantula. Shockwave was an Electric-type move that hit all enemies in a limited range of user. Flinching from Emolga's Shockwave, Virizon closed in and performed her Sacred Sword. A Fighting-type move, Sacred Sword made use of Virizion's horns as she honed them to a razor edge in a white glow to slash at Galvantula. Even though it wasn't effective, continuous slashes defeated Galvantula in a blur of light. When Galvantula collapsed, she ran back to help us push back an enraged Beartic.

"Don't let up! Attack together!" I encouraged.

Thunderbolt, Shockwave, and Leaf Tornado caused to Beartic to double over in pain in place and Virizion's Double Kick delivered the finshing blow. When Beartic collapsed, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Haaah…. That was one tough Pokémon. Were these Pokémon this tough when you guys first came through here?!" Emolga asked.

"Not quite. Because this is a different dungeon, it's reasonable to believe that the Pokémon residing here would be different," Virizon explained.

"Virizon is right. Let's not let our guard down. We're still not out of this dungeon so we need to be quick and careful," Silvy warned.

"You all heard Silvy. Let's keep going. There isn't much time left," I said.

The four of us, after checking for wounds, continued to press forward in the dungeon called the Tyrian Maze. This place had an ominous feel to it and we all guessed it had to do with the floating Glacier Palace. Many of the Pokémon here were evolutions here so we had to be ready for longer fights than usual. Beartic, Galvantula, Garbodor, and Lampent, the Lamp Pokémon, were evolved Pokémon we encountered. Lampent resembled a black street lamp of old without the long pole and a ghostly flame illuminating its gold eyes.

Golett, the Automaton Pokémon, and Cranidos were also here. Golett was the pre-evolution of Golurck and as such was smaller and less intimidating. It had square spiral pattern in a polygon that was connected by four straps holding its body. Its oddly shaped teal and navy blue body belied the strength it possessed.

"We should be getting close…" I said.

"Hey, Shin! I see some light up ahead!" Emolga yelled.

"Let's check it out! It could be the exit!" Silvy said excitingly.

We all hurried to catch up to Emolga, who ran ahead to check things out for us. When we were all ready, we ran outside, expecting to see the Great Glacier.

"Th-this is—!"

Silvy was at a loss for words as she gazed at the scenery in front us. As far as the eye could see were hills of pure white snow as well glaciers obscuring the background.

"Aaawesome! There are like a hundred glaciers in front of us! Silvy! Is this how it was the last time you were here?!" Emolga exclaimed.

Since this was Emolga's first time at the Great Glacier, everything to him was spectacular.

"Yeah. This is the same view I remember."

"See? We weren't on the wrong path," Virizon said.

"That's right! So now we've just gotta wait here for Umbreon and Espeon to show up, huh?" Emolga said happily."

I hope it's that simple, I thought. But what's…that sound? It's been going on for a while now. It's really been bothering me.

The sound that was bothering me was this howl in the wind that seemed unnatural. No one else could differentiate it from the regular artic wind, but somehow this wind was different if you only listened closely.

The sky then suddenly grew dark.

"Wha—!"

"Everything suddenly got dark?!" I said, confused.

"Everyone! It's above us!" Virizon yelled.

While we were looking around, Virizon looked above us and noticed something amazing. When we looked up, we too, were greatly surprised.

"GAHHHHHH!" Emolga yelled.

"Th-th-that's—!" Silvy stammered.

What blocked out the sky was the floating Glacier Palace. Ice formations floating with and around the palace could be seen from where we were. The palace itself seemed far bigger than it was underground as it floated above our heads.

"It is, isn't it?! But it's not supposed to be here! So why is the Glacier Palace right above us?!" Silvy said.

"Apparently it's not just floating—it's also traveling across the land! And it's already come this far!" I said, surprised and concerned.

"But…do you… Am I the only one who hears something else, too?" Emolga asked.

When everyone else tried to listen, the howl I noticed earlier began to sound clearer. Something inside me told me to that something was coming…and it was very hostile. I searched around and noticed something that wasn't there suddenly growing. It was blue with some red to it and it was coming our way.

Wait. Blue and red. Growing closer? Is that…

My hunch was right as a dragon was diving right at us. When it landed it, it caused the earth around us to quake causing us to lose our balance.

"S-Salamence!" I cried.

"RRRRROOOOOOWWWWRRRRR!"

"Wh-what? Who's this guy?!" Emolga asked, nervous.

"It's Salamence! He's one of Munna's gang!" I said, ready to fight.

"WHAT?!"

Behind us, Chandelure materialized. Not only one but two Chandelure appeared to surround us.

"And the Chandelure, too!" Silvy exclaimed.

"So they're here to get in our way, are they!" Virizon said.

"What do we do, Shin?" Silvy asked, glancing at me.

"Heh. Do you even have to ask?! We defeat them!" I proclaimed.

"ROOOOOWWWWWRRRRR!"

"Chaaaaaaaah!"

My confidence and determination made the Chandelure and Salamence roar out a challenge. They were ready to take us on. We were ready to make them get out of our way.

"So we can reach the Glacier Palace. We've got do this!" I ordered.

Salamence started the battle by lifting off into the sky.

"Emolga! Distract Salamence! Virizon, Silvy! We're going to take down the Chandelure quickly!

""Right!"" "Are you kidding me?!"

Virizon and Silvy were ready to work with me. Emolga was terrified with his duty.

"Look. Use your Acrobatics as a way to dodge. Don't worry about attacking. Just keep dodging as best you can. Please, you're the only one among us that can keep Salamence at bay in the air!"

"Alright, I got it!"

Reluctantly, Emolga jumped off the cliff behind us and did his best to distract Salamence. The rest of us wasted no time in challenging the Chandelure. To prevent us from getting close, one Chandelure released a cloud of Smog to stop Virizion and Silvy as they were both weak to Poison-type moves. Stopped momentarily, the other Chandelure's began to glow eerily.

"Not going to let you guys perform the same trick twice! Haah!"

The eerie glow was Chandelure about to cast a Confue Ray at Silvy or Virizon. To prevent this, I cast out a Discharge attack to stop and damage Chandelure.

"When did you learn that, Shin?!" Silvy said, surprised.

"Not now, Silvy!" Virizon chided.

Virizion yelled at Silvy while rushing through the cloud of smog. She may have taken damage, but she closed in and performed a Giga Drain. Although not effective, it still caused Chandelure to continue flinching in pain. Silvy vaulted over the other Chandelure and unleashed her Leaf Tornado. Caught in the eye of the storm, the Chandelure were continuously crying out in pain then I let out another Discharge to strike both of them at the same time.

"All together!" Virizion yelled.

The three of us unleashed a Magical Leaf, Leaf Tornado and Thunderbolt to finally incapacitate the Chandelure.

""Aaaahhhhh!""

One final cry of pain, and the Chandelure were knocked out.

"One more!" Silvy said as she looked above.

Emolga looked pretty ragged from the moves he avoided. Salamence let loose a Dragon Breath attack that managed to strike Emolga directly. He then began to fall toward the ground.

"Oh no! He's paralyzed!" I gasped.

""What?!""

Virizion and Silvy didn't know that Dragon Breath was a move that had the chance of also inflicting paralysis. Virizon ran as fast as she could to catch Emolga and only just narrowly caught him on her back. She kneeled down and allowed Silvy and I to perform first aid. Silvy took out one of our Heal Seeds and crushed it above Emolga's head. The pained expression he had seemed to have eased but he was still covered in bruises. I quickly found an Oran Berry and handed it to Silvy.

"Allow me," Virizion said.

She cut the berry into smaller pieces and placed them in Emolga's mouth. Silvy helped him to chew and swallow. It was then that Emolga opened his eyes with renewed energy. There wasn't any time for relief as Salamence began to nose dive right us.

"Get out of the way!"

I hurried everyone to move as Salamence landed once more and unleashed another Dragon Breath without warning.

"Ugh!"

"Shin!"

I couldn't completely get out of Salamence's breath sweep and suffered some burns as a result. Although I wasn't paralyzed, I still did take damage.

"Hurt my friend, will you?!" Emolga angrily said.

Wanting to pay back Salamence the damage it inflicted, Emolga flew above Salamence and unleashed his Shockwave. It did cause it to flinch but only momentarily.

"Let me help, Emolga!"

Not waiting for a response, Virizion unleashed her Magical Leaf. Reacting to her voice, Salamence did its best to avoid it but Magical Leaf was a move that never missed with few exceptions. Caught off guard by the attack following and then hitting it, Salamence cried out in pain.

"Don't forget about me!"

Not letting my wound stop me, I struck Salamence with my Thunderbolt. As a result, I could see that Salamence was suffering from paralysis. Some luck had gone our way.

"Silvy! Toss a Vile Seed at Salamence!" I ordered.

Silvy was momentarily confused before realized my intention. A Vile Seed was an item, when thrown at an enemy, would significantly lower their defenses. If we were to stand a chance at defeating Salamence once and for all, the Vile Seed would be pivotal. She found it in our bag and threw it Salamence with all her might.

The seed made contact and a malevolent aura could be seen wrapping itself around Salemence. Startled, Salamence gave out a shrill cry, but noticing it did nothing to harm it, Salamence broke free from the paralysis and began to hunt us down again.

"RRROOOOWWWRRR!"

"Now! Give it everything you got everyone!" I yelled.

Everyone hardened there expressions as this became a do or die situation. Emolga circled around Salamence in the air and let loose another Discharge. The ensuing damage caused Salamence to show a surprised expression as the damage was far greater than before.

"We can do this!" Silvy encouraged.

Silvy jumped high into the air and came crashing down on Salamence with her Leaf Blade, her strongest move. Although normally very ineffective against Salamence, with the Vile Seed's effect in place, it managed to deal out great damage. Following Silvy's example, Virizion rushed in and used her strongest move, Sacred Sword. One slash, two slashes, three slashes caused Salamence to roar out in pain.

"Let's end this!"

I rushed at Salamence and jumped on his back. Using the same method I did on Gurdurr, I unleashed a Thunderbolt at point blank range. Enraged and in pain, Salamence took off with me still on his back.

"Whoooaaah!"

""Shin!""

I did my best to hold on as Salamence tried to shake me off with varying methods. Despite being in the air, I wasn't going to let up on finishing Salamence.

"Just go down already!"

I gave out another Thunderbolt on its back but Salamence continued to fly and attempt to shake me off. I was hanging on for dear life but also pouring as much strength into my attack. Salamence also continued to throw me off but soon its strength finally gave out and Salamence began to crash down into the ground where Silvy and the others were.

"Uh oh!"

Even though Salamence failed to throw me off, as soon as he began spiraling down, I lost my grip and I was freefalling down alongside Salamence.

"Shin! No!" Silvy cried.

"Leave it to me!"

"Emolga flew up in a last bid to save me from crashing onto the earth. He told me to grab on to his legs, but his strength couldn't hold both our weights. We weren't falling at the same speed as Salamence but we were still falling nonetheless. The earth shook as Salamence lay in a small crater, unconscious and defeated. Emolga and I were close to the ground when Virzion and Silvy jumped to meet us in the air. Virizion tossed Silvy at us in order to counteract our falling with hers. The difference in the speed and the new distance we fell was enough to save our lives, albeit still crashing on the ground.

"Ugh… I wish I was a Flying-type…" I groggily joked.

"Stupid! You nearly got killed again!"

Silvy chastised me as she shed some tears and hugged me.

"Hey! I nearly died too!" Emolga said, annoyed.

"There there, Emolga. You were very brave up there," Virizion consoled.

"Hmph! I don't need your pity…"

"Heheh."

Despite's Emolga's grumpy comment, Virizion merely laughed it off as she praised Emolga for his heroics.

"Come on, Silvy. You're embarrassing me. I'm okay. See?"

I pulled off Silvy so that she can see that I was okay. She was still crying but more so she was relieved and angry at my action.

"Don't do that again, Shin."

"No worries there. I'll take being a Ground-type over a Flying-type any day," I commented with a sigh.

We both got up and dusted ourselves off. We walked over to where Salamence lied.

"…We did it! We beat them… We beat Salamence!" Silvy said, amazed.

"Ha! You guys were nuts to even try to take us on! Don't you know who we are?!" Emolga declared proudly.

"OK, everybody! Let's move on while we've got the chance!" I said.

"Yeah!" Emolga cheered.

Emolga was happily basking in our victory but failed to notice one of the Chandelure suddenly rise up and draw near Emolga. Before we could react, Virizion cried first.

"Emolga! Watch out!"

"Chaaaaaaah! Urk!"

Chandelure once again fell, but not by the hands of any of us. Behind Chandelure was Espeon.

"It's a bit early to be letting your guard down, Emolga," Espeon chastised.

"Espeon!" Silvy said, surprised.

"Espeon! Don't go sneaking up on me like that! No, sorry, I mean… Thanks for saving me," Emolga said apologetically.

"Looks like everyone is still in one piece. Thank goodness for that, at least. Umbreon is getting everything ready. He's just up ahead. Let's hurry," Espeon said.

"Huh? Getting what ready?" I asked.

"We've found a way to get to the Glacier Palace," Espeon revealed.

"You did? You mean we can travel across the sky?" Virizion said, amazed.

"That's, like, seriously amazing! Really! You two really are geniuses!" Emolga said, eyes glittering.

"I don't think it had anything to do with our genius, though… Well, never mind that now. Just come along with me."

Without another word, Espeon guided us all to where Umbreon was. When we arrived, Umbreon was staring at the floating palace in the sky.

"Sorry for the wait, Umbreon! I've brought everyone with me," Espeon said.

Umbreon turned around to greet us. Behind him was the device used for summoning a Magnagate and the Entercards.

"Aren't these for summoning a Magnagate?!" Silvy exclaimed.

"Umbreon! You figured out how to use the Entercards to reach the Glacier Palace after all?" I asked.

"More or less, though we'll be using some pretty special Entercards. These should let us go straight there—without any dungeons or anything!" Umbreon declared.

"Whoa! I knew you guys were geniuses! You made the awesome Entercards like that?!" Emogla asked, amazed.

"'Fraid not. These Enterards weren't made by the two of us. The cards we're about use are ones we picked up.

Except Espeon, everyone was surprised at Umbreon's revelation about the Entercards they were about to use to summon a Magnagate.

"Picked…up?" Silvy asked.

"That's right. We found them among the glaciers. We were poking through the chunks of ice falling from the Glacier Palace and that's where we found these Entercards," Espeon explained.

"How can that be?" Virizon wondered.

"Basically, Espeon's intuition was exactly right. If you think back to the first time we came to the Great Glacier, remember when we stood in front of the glacier? Before those crevasses? Right around there, we found signs of a Magnagate being summoned. Do you remember that?" Umbreon explained.

"Signs of a Magnagate being summoned? Yeah… I remember that. It was the one I found, right? And then we tried using our Entercards there and pillars of light formed, creating a path that outlined the route we took to the Glacier Palace when it was still in the ground," I recalled.

"I didn't see it at the time, but…thinking about it now… Only one Pokémon capable of making that Magnagate pops into mind, right?" Umbreon said.

"Only one?" Silvy asked.

"Yup. Only one. The Pokémon who—according to the stories—reached that spot before we did." Umbreon affirmed.

"…You mean Keldeo," I answered.

"That's right. Keldeo. Keldeo is the only Pokémon who reached the Glacier Palace before we did. And that old Magnagate we found, it would make sense…if Keldeo used Entercards to summon it. And if he did, that would mean Keldeo is also an Entercard user. And a genius one, at that," Umbreon remarked.

"Keldeo…an Entercard user? I just can't imagine it," Virizion said, confused. "I mean, in all the years I knew him, I never even saw him glance at a set of Entercards, you know?"

"Perhaps he picked the skill up for some reason along the way?" Espeon suggested. "Although he appears to have made up his own method, Keldeo has a real gift for it… Frankly, the arrangement he thought up for crossing the crevasses was breathtaking. And the Entercards we found this time…"

"What? You think those are Keldeo's handiwork, too?" Silvy said.

"It seems likely. Keldeo must've known that the Glacier Palace would take off sooner or later. So he made Entercards that could cross the sky and dropped them down here. When Espeon first suggested that we come check here for ideas, honestly, I was baffled by it."

"Of course, even I didn't think we'd find anything like these cards lying about. My intuition was just about Keldeo. But when I followed on from the conclusion that Keldeo was the Entercard user, then I thought I might learn more here, in the place where he passed through. That was only a guess. But about Keldeo alone…while I can't explain why, I knew I was not mistaken. That is what my intuition told me," Espeon happily said.

"That's…amazing. Kind of more like frightening, really. That intuition of yours, Espeon…" I said.

"At any rate, no one ever heard from Keldeo again after he entered the Glacier Palace. And now we've found these Entercards left behind. It's almost as if they were meant for us. When you look at it like that, you have to conclude that Keldeo is still in the Glacier Palace," Umbreon revealed.

"K-Keldeo is—?!" Silvy stammered.

"And that his Kyurem's enemy. If he went to the trouble of leaving behind a method to cross the sky, it hardly seems possible that he is out to help Kyurem with his goals," Espeon continued.

"Keldo is…"

Virizon let out soft words of hope as she raised her sight towards the floating Glacier Palace. The silence that prevailed in the air added to Virizion's solemn expression. Everyone knew what she was thinking. Although I never thought of it before, with this new information, it was clear that without a doubt, Keldeo was still somewhere in the Glacier Palace.

"Keldo is…up there… In that Glacier Palace… Keldeo is there!"

I walked next to Virizon and also looked at the Glacier Palace briefly before addressing everyone.

"There are still a whole lot of mysteries, but the only way we're gonna understand them is if we go there! To the Glacier Palace!"

Back in Post Town, onlookers continued to watch the dread palace come closer to their homes on top of the hill.

"Hah…hah… Hey! Is it true? Can you really see it?!" Ducklett asked.

"Yeah… It's still far off, but…there's no mistakin' it," Rufflet said.

"That is no mirage."

Ducklett that had wanted to know if the Glacier Palace was visible drew closer to the cliff to look out into the horizon.

"You're right! It's no mirage… You can see the real Glacier Palace! What does it mean?!"

"The Glacier Palace…might be coming this way…" Dunsparce said.

"I-it's coming here?!"

"S-so it's true? It's just like Silvy said, the world is facing destruction…"

"Aaah! He was telling truth!"

"Eeeeek!"

"Hold on a moment! It's not as if the Glacier Palace has actually DONE anything yet, now is it?! It just happens to be drifting this way!" Dunsparce argued.

"Are you serious?! The Bittercold is gonna destroy the whole world! And that's what's coming right at us! And you're trying to say that's all just fine and dandy?!"

"H-hey! Ducklett! Don't get too worked up now! It's true the Bittercold seems to be getting closer and we don't know what it'll do, but… Well, actually it's even scarier because we don't know what it'll do," Rufflet admitted.

"I believe we are in definite danger. How do you all think it will happen? The end of the world, I mean. Will everything just blink out in an instant? Personally I don't think so. I think perhaps everything will slowly crumble around us. But where will the destruction start from, then?" Patrat glumly pondered.

"…Augh! You don't think—! Maybe it'll start from right around the Bittercold itself?! Then the things closest to the Bittercold will be the first to go?!" Ducklett panicked.

"It is unfortunate, but…that does seem the most likely course of events," Patrat admitted.

"Whaaaaaat?! That's terrible! We've gotta tell everyone!"

The three Pokémon began to panic even more as their speculation plunged deeper into despair and hopelessness.

"Wait… Just wait one second!"

Dunsparce tried to get the three Pokémon to calm down with his yell before addressing them again.

"Why do you always have to go and make things worse than they are?! If you go around panicking and spreading rumors like that, it's not like it's going to help anything, is it? You're only adding to the problem, aren't you?!"

"Ugh…"

"Dunsparce is exactly right!"

Swanna pitched her opinion as she approached the group.

"Swanna!"

"Signora…"

"You Pokémon… What was all that 'Oh, we've got to tell everyone!' nonsense?! You just don't know when enough is enough, do you? So the destruction is going to start from the area closest to the Bittercold, eh? You're just making assumptions! You know anything! You want to throw everyone into a panic by spreading that nonsense?!"

"… … …"

"Wake up already, would you? We've got the future to think about! And we've got to think of the children! So how about you all stop acting like such a bunch of twits? We've got work to do!" Swanna commanded.

The three Pokémon looked at each other nervously before walking away down to town. What they were going to do, only they knew.

"Honestly."

"Thanks, Swanna. Of course, Dunsparce. I know you're trying hard, at least, even if no one else is. Don't you give up. Not until the very end!"

"I won't!"

That's right! I won't give up! We're going to get everyone to believe in the future again, Dunsparce thought. We're going to make everyone believe together! So you and the others better not give up either, Shin! You've got to destroy that Bittercold! Don't lose to anyone! Go get 'em, Shin!

A beam of a light rose from the ground and arced its way into an unknown location in the Glacier of light. Another bright star of light followed the path and disappeared behind the palace. Where the light ended, a Magnagate opened, allowing the travelers to exit. The small space where they arrived shook violently as the Magnagate closed.

"Is this…" Silvy began.

"It's all covered with ice, and you can see the sky outside. It may have changed a bit since last time, but this definitely seems to be the Glacier Palace," Virizion noted.

What Virzion was referring to was how the Glacier Palace appeared to be more sinister than how tranquil it was when it was underground. The surrounding ice had become more jagged and formations, instead of appearing to be sculpted, looked more as if they were clawed into being. What remained of the beauty of the place was continuously falling gently as blue shimmers.

"We really got here without having to go through a single dungeon! That's crazy! And we even came across the sky! What is with these Entercards, huh?! They're unbelievable!" Emolga said, amazed.

"They are indeed impressive. To be able to make cards like this… Well, if I'm being honest, I'm quite jealous," Espeon admitted.

"Well, we are dungeon researchers, after all. So I know how you feel, but this is not time for that kind of chitchat. We made it to the Glacier Palace. That's what matters. Now we need to get to the Bittercold…and destroy it! We need to keep our focus on that and move forward!" Umbreon said.

"W…wait a sec! It's great that we mad it here, of course, but, um…what about getting back? How do we get back to Paradise? We're way up here in the sky…" Emolga nervously asked.

"Don't worry. We should be able to get back again by using Keldeo's Entercards," Umbreon reassured Emolga.

"O-oh… Really? Well, that's OK then. Phew. I was afraid for a second that maybe you guys weren't planning on making it back…"

"That's ridiculous. We are absolutely going to return to Paradise safe and sound," Espeon said reassuringly.

"After all, if we didn't, how would we ever be able to face Dunsparce again?" Virizion said.

"Haha… Yeah, I guess that's true. Alright! Then let's go do this thing!" Emolga said.

"Salamence came from up here. So that means, we should assume Munna and the others are also up here somewhere," I concluded.

"Do you think they noticed our arrival?" Silvy asked.

"Hard to say. But if they haven't, we should use that to our advantage," I said.

"We'll draw attention if we all travel together in one big group, though. If we split up, we should be able to avoid getting caught by Munna. And if her thugs do find us and chase us, at least they'll have to split their forces," Espeon suggested.

"Sounds fair. Let's split into three groups. Espeon and I will stick together. Virizion and Emolga should team up. And finally Shin and Silvy. Each of our groups will go a different way. Does that sound alright everyone?" Umbreon explained.

"Fine with me," Silvy happily said.

"Stay safe, everyone," Virizion said.

"Make sure you don't lose, OK?" Emolga encouraged.

We all nodded our heads in agreement to the plan Espeon and Umbreon made.

"Let's go, Espeon!"

"Right behind you."

"We should head out, too."

"Yeah. Be careful, Shin and Silvy!"

"Don't worry about us, Emolga. Try not to argue too much," I joked.

"You all be careful, too!" Silvy said.

We waved to each other as we all went our separate paths. Our ultimate destination was the Bittercold, guarded by the cold sentinel of fate, Kyurem. No doubt we wouldn't even be able to face Kyurem unless we dealt with Munna first.

"Hey… We're going to be alright, right Silvy?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're going to stop the Bittercold without a doubt. Where's the courage you displayed back in Post Town?" Silvy asked.

"Probably given to you when you gave that speech to Post Town," I jokingly said.

"Then allow me to give some back to you. I'm going to need to keep some of it too, of course," she said with a smile.

I held out my hand expecting to have it held. Instead, Silvy have me a gentle hug.

"Uh…"

"I thought this would be better," she said shyly.

Her warmth put me at ease in this cold place. Any doubts I had melted and my belief in saving her and the world was renewed once more. The both of us hugging with shimmers falling like snow was like a cliché picturesque scene.


	18. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

Farther ahead, Umbreon and Espeon had made it into a safe area.

"Looks like we've still got a long way to go."

"…Umbreon…" Espeon softly called out.

"What is it?" Umbreon asked.

"When we… When Emolga asked you about getting back… Why did you tell him… Why did you pretend we could use Keldeo's Entercards to get back? Why did you lie?"

"You played along, too, you know. Why are you questioning it now?"

"Well, it wasn't just me. Virizion did, too. Even Shin had a look in his eyes that knew we were lying… But I just didn't want to make Emolga and Silvy too afraid of what was coming," Espeon admitted guiltily.

"Me too. There's your answer. Anyway, we don't know for sure that it was a lie. We just can't verify it. If we had the time to study them, maybe we could find a way to use those Entercards to get back home. But that's just not in the cards for us. Right now we have to find a way to fight the Bittercold. If the world ends, there won't be anything for anyone to return to anyway."

"…Umbreon… I don't know if it's even possible, but… I still want us to make it back. You, me , everyone else. We all have to make it back. Back to Paradise."

Tears were falling from her eyes as Umbreon drew close to comfort her.

"I know, Espeon."

"Here, an Oran Berry, Shin."

"Thanks."

We were set upon by a Mandibuzz, the Bone Vulture Pokémon, and a Simipour, the Geyser Pokémon. Manibuzz was a tall, female vulture with a bone barrette and a creepy bone skirt. Simipoure was aqua blue monkey with dreadlock hair and a poofy tail. A Discharge, a Shockwave, and a Giga Drain later, the enemies fell. They didn't fall without landing a few well-placed hits on me, though. Silvy rummaged through our bag and found an Oran Berry to help restore my health.

"Why are all these Pokémon here and in our way?" Silvy asked.

"Hard to say. They must have a reason to want to see the world end. Can't imagine what would drive them to embrace their own destruction, though," I mused.

Silvy cast her eyes down in sadness but she didn't lose hope. If we could prove to the world that we could stop the Bittercold, hope could return to Pokémon. That was what we were fighting for.

"I know it's hard, but we'll push our way through any Pokémon and stop Kyurem! Right, Shin?"

"Right! Now let's keep going."

Many evolutions were here in the East Spire of the Glacier Palace. Mamoswine, the Twin Tusk Pokémon, Gothitelle, the Astral Body Pokémon, Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon, Beartic, and Crygonal all resided and stood in our path to Kyurem. Mamoswine was giant mammoth-like Pokémon that was both an Ice and Ground-type. Against it, Silvy had the advantage. Gothitelle was a tall Pokémon and the last evolution of Gothita. The body was in the shape of long dress with white bows leading up to her neck. Volcarona was a Bug and Fire-type with the body of a moth and wings as hot as the sun. All these Pokémon stood in our way, but somehow we kept pressing forward.

Elsewhere, Virizon and Emolga had progressed far into the Glacier Palace.

"We've come pretty far, haven't we?" Virizon said.

Emola didn't say anything, so Virizon stopped and turned to look at Emolga.

"What? Something on your mind?"

"…What? No! I-it's nothing!" Emolga stammered.

"Is that right? That reminds me… You hate me, don't you? So getting stuck with me was pretty bad luck for you, I guess. Sorry."

"Wha—! I-I never said I hate you! Sure, you really rubbed me the wrong way at first… But I kinda got it—after hearing about Keldeo and all. And I got to see some of your side. Like, you really keep it together even when everyone's freaking out. I guess I kinda get it now, why Dunsparce wanted to be friends with you."

"Oh? Well, that's good, then," Virizon smiled.

"I'm sorry, too. I used to…just needle you every chance I got. I've wanted to apologize for a while, but there just never seemed to be a good time."

"Oh, I don't blame you. Even I think I used to be an awful excuse for a Pokémon. So thanks. Thank you for becoming my friend."

"Ah… Sure. Phew! That's a big weight off my mind! Let's give it our all, Virizion! We're gonna find that Bittercold and beat it for sure!"

"Yes, we will. You know, Emolga, you're kind of a tough guy even though you're adorable. That's why I like you," Virizion said happily.

"You… WHAAAT?!"

Virzion's admission stunned Emolga beyond belief. She didn't pay any mind to his outburst and turned to continue further. When Emolga didn't follow she turned back again.

"Something the matter? And shouldn't we be hurrying on to find the Bittercold?"

"Y-yeah, OK…" Emolga said, dazed and red in the face.

He quickly caught up to Virizion but made sure to stay behind as to hide his embarrassed face.

"Let's rest a bit in this safe area," I suggested.

Silvy and I had made progressed a fair while since entering the palace. Taking a short break here would benefit us before Munna would no doubt stop us from proceeding any further. We both sat down and rested a bit before continuing.

"We've come pretty far, haven't we?" Silvy asked.

"I feel like we're nearly there, though. Let's be extra careful from here on out," I suggested.

Silvy nodded at my caution and helped me get up. We both continued up the next flight of stairs. It was difficult to tell how high in the palace we were as the Glacier Palace was floating high in the sky. In the few floors we climbed, we encountered the same Pokémon that were in the lower floors as well as Lampent and Crustle, the Stone Home Pokémon. Crustle resembled a hermit crab as its home was a giant piece of earth that had layers in its appearance, almost as if taken straight from the planet's crust. The higher we went, the fiercer the opponents but we did our best to fight through or avoid these battles altogether. Every ounce of strength saved would be necessary as we neared the exit of the Eastern Spire.

"It seems like we should be almost out…" I said.

"Ah! There's a path over there! It looks like it should get us somewhere! Let's go, Shin!"

Meanwhile, Emolga and Virizon themselves had exited the Eastern Spire and came into an open area outside. The stairs leading up to the next area were right in front of them.

"Looks like the path opens a bit here," Emolga noted.

"We'll be easy to spot, though. It'll be dangerous to stay here long," Virizon warned.

"You're right about that."

Nodding to Virizion's caution, they both decided staying out in the open would be bring only trouble so they hurried to the stairs but were stopped by a voice.

"Ahhh! You guys! How did you get up here?!"

The voice was hidden so Virizion and Emolga looked everywhere to find its owner.

"That voice—an enemy?!"

"Hmph… We got spotted just as soon as we said we should be careful, huh?" Emolga said, frustrated.

In a blinding light, Purugly warped in front of the two.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! This Glacier Palace is floating in the sky! I can't even believe that you rrrrascals made it up here, but since you're herrrre, I guess I've got to do something about it! Let's get 'em!"

At Purugly's command, six Excadrill's appeared beneath the ice and surrounded Virizon and Emolga.

"Drrriiilllll!"

"Drrriiilllll!"

"Ugh! Six at once, huh…"

"…We should probably just look for an opening and run for it," Virizion said calmly.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! You may trrry to run, but you're not going to find it so easy! We'll just split up and hunt you down!"

"Ugh…"

"Virizon! Emolga!"

"What? More rrrascals?!"

"Hey. Do you hear that, Silvy?"

"Sounds like trouble!"

The voices we heard as we climbed seemed to be coming from the familiar and ever persistent enemies that tracked us down many times. Silvy ran ahead to see who was it she was talking to.

"Virizion! Emolga!"

Purugly had them surrounded by six Excadrills. If we hadn't arrived like we did, they might have been in great trouble.

"Silvy! Shin!" Emolga said happily.

"I'm a bit surprised to see the two of you surrounded like this! But at least you're alright!" I said, relieved.

"Yes, so far!" Virizion said.

We ran into their circle and turned to face the seven of them.

"Alright! Let's show 'em how it's done!" Silvy encouraged.

"Nya-ha-ha-ha! Shin! So you plan to ignore Master Kyurem's generous warrrrning, do you?" Purugly taunted.

"… … …"

"Even if the otherrrs escape…you will never make it past this point! Never! I'll neverrr let you pass!"

She shot me a venomous look before she pounced at me. I didn't give her the chance to hit me so I jumped and everyone else scattered to take on the other six. If this was how it was going to be, then at least I'd have the leader's attention.

"Shin! Hang on!" Silvy said.

"Don't worry about me! Take care of everyone else!"

"Okay! We'll be there soon!"

I wasn't going to get my hopes up. They were taking the short end of the stick going up against an enemy twice their number. Even if Silvy and Virizion had the advantage, Emolga would have trouble if he got careless.

"You can't get away, Shin! Nya-hah!"

She tried to draw in close to me and use her Slash attack, but I ducked underneath and made sure to retaliate by striking her with a Thunderbolt!

"Gyaaah!"

She writhed in pain but only glared at me, seemingly unscathed.

"Hurt a cat maiden, will you?"

"Purugly…you're nothing like a maiden…"

"How cold! Just look at my eyes and say that again!"

"Ugh!"

Her stare really made me feel uncomfortable in many ways. This was her plan to throw my strength off balance. She used her Captivate move that lowered the Special Attack stat of an opposite gender Pokémon. Seeing as I felt weaker, I guess she really was female, but such a move should explicitly be used by Pokémon that were captivating to begin with, not one that had the word 'ugly' in their name.

"Gotcha!"

As I tried to get a grip on myself, she came alarmingly close and then struck me with her claws once more. I guessed that she used Faint Attack in conjunction with Captivate. She put her entire weight into that attack and the difference in our weight caused it to launch me towards the ice pillars.

"Kuha…!"

The attack nearly ripped the breath right out of me but I still forced myself to descend as Purugly spared no moment of hesitation to pounce and slash at me.

"Going to make this personal, huh Purugly?"

Before she got ready to attack again, I sent out a surge of Thunder Wave and the move paralyzed her enough for me to back up and breath.

Okay. Guess this is as a good of a time as any.

I breathed and closed my eyes to focus. I willed myself to become stronger, more durable. I willed this strength into my tail and it responded. It glowed and then from the base of the tail to the tip it hardened to the density of steel. Its chrome finish only reinforced a viewer's belief that it looked like a tail of steel. Iron Tail, a Steel-type move, was the move that Scraggy taught me back in Paradise Center. It was the move that Blitzle was hinting I could learn. Since my special type of moves where rendered less effective, close combat was the only option.

"You! How did you—!"

The look of fear in Purugly's eyes told me she knew why I had learned this move.

"That's right. Now take it!"

I had a running start and jumped into the air before slamming Purugly with my tail. The force was enough to cause her to tumble over. She failed to have to anticipate that I had a physical type move that could deal damage to her. She had only counted on disabling my special type moves by using Captivate.

"Nya! Don't think you've won just yet!"

With the paralysis passed, she couldn't fail to underestimate me anymore. She came at me with all her might.

"Just because it's weaker doesn't mean I can't use it!"

To prove it, I sent out another jolt of Thunderbolt. Pain was in her expression but she kept charging. To dodge her attack I jumped up to the air.

"Just what I was expecting! Nya-ha-ha!"

She also jumped and prepared her claws to perform Slash. What she didn't know was that I also expected her to do the same.

"Slow!"

I swung myself to meet her Slash with my Iron Tail and the two moves collided. Since we were evenly matched, we bounced away from each other from the pressure of the moves. I wasn't going to leave that clash empty handed, so I sent out another Thunderbolt.

"Nyah!"

She was already weak from the other moves I managed to land at her so the Thunderbolt was more effective than it would have.

"Let's end this."

One more Iron Tail would be all that would be necessary.

"Don't look down on me, Shin!"

She wasn't going down without a fight so she charged at me as I charged at her as well. Iron Tail ready, I swung my tail at her.

"Nya-ha-ha!"

She preempted my Iron Tail feigned the attack in order to shift her position to my side. Her Faint Attack certainly brought me to her but,

"This is nothing!"

Instead of stopping, I fell on my back and twisted my body so that my tail would meet Purugly's attack. Surprised but undeterred, our attacks clashed once more. This time I wasn't going to let it end in a draw. I gave it all I got into the attack.

"Nya-ha-ha! This is the end, Shin!"

"I won't lose. Come on!"

Sparks were flying as neither of us budged. If this continued, both of us were not getting out unharmed.

"Madam Purugly!"

An Excadrill called out in horror to Purugly. When she averted her gaze to see what was going on, I pushed just a little more at the opening Purugly left herself. The opening was enough for me to finally push off Purugly and she flew towards an Excadrill. The collision caused the both of them to be knocked out.

"Hah…hah…"

I used up more strength than I had wanted in that one battle and it left me standing in place, drained of energy. One Excadrill roared out in anger as her master was taken down and it came at me, claws glowing. This was Excadrills Metal Claw, very similar to my Iron Tail. I clenched my teeth and braced myself for impact.

… … …?

Nothing happened. I felt no pain nor was I tumbling. I opened my eyes and saw that Excadrill had a surprised expression before toppling over.

"Told you I'd come to help," Silvy said.

Silvy had stopped Excadrill with her Leaf Blade before it could strike me down with its Metal Claw.

"Thanks for saving me, Silvy. Let's go finish the other Excadrills!"

"Right behind you, Shin!"

I wasn't about to let a little fatigue stopped me from helping my friends. They had already disposed of 4 of them and the last two were already being pushed back by Virizion and Emolga.

"Silvy help Virizon. Emolga! Let's do this!"

""Right!""

One Giga Drain followed by another Giga Drain was too much for their Excadrill. Emolga harried the Excadrill and dealt damage at the same time with his Acrobatics before I came in and slammed Excadrill down into the ice with Iron Tail.

We regrouped and praised each other for a job well done.

"Ugh…"

"Driiillllll…."

All of them moaned in painful agony as they could no longer get up.

"We'd better move on," Virizon said.

"Yeah, you're right. These guys are exactly the type to chase after us once they're back on their feet," agreed Emolga.

"And if any of their friends catch up with them, we'll be in serious trouble. We won't be able to win against those numbers," I said grimly.

"I know. Let's get going," Silvy declared.

Instead of separating again, we agreed to continue upwards together as a team.

"We have come quite far to the south. Our pace is increasing."

"Master Kyurem… Do you mean…"

"The Winds of Despair are growing stronger. The Bittercold is gaining strength.

"The Bittercold is…getting stronger…"

"It appears…it may come even sooner than I had anticipated. The ending of this world…"

"… … …"

"Soon the Bittercold will be unstoppable. I cannot imagine anything would change after coming this far. Yet such unlikely things have happened. We will maintain our caution."

"Yes…"

Somewhere farther up in the Glacier Palace, a specific Pokémon had finished conversing with Kyurem telepathically.

"…I see… So the world is…finally… This miserable world that does not deserve exist…will finally…disappear."

"Lady Munnaaaaa!"

"Toxicroak! What is it?!"

"It's Shin! Shin and the rest of those pests are all here! At the Glacier Palace, croak!" Toxicroak said, panicking.

"Wh-what?!" Munna said, surprised.

"They already got Purugly, croak! And Shin is a human! That means the Bittercold could be in danger, croak! We can't just let them get away with this, croak!"

"Calm down, Toxicroak! There is no need to panic!"

"…Huh?"

"Things are different than they were at Mount Kilionea. We were trying to find them as they fled that time, but this time we know exactly where they are headed. And we know this place better than any of them do."

"Th-that's true"

"We'll lure them where we want them, and then take them all out at once!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka! Roger, croak! I'm gonna go tell everyone, croak!"

Toxicroak then bowed to Munna and ran off from where he came from.

"Looks like we've come out someplace different this time. So…the Bittercold must be somewhere beyond here, right?" Emolga asked.

"I think so. If we just keep heading up, we should reach it, right? But what should we do? Do we split up again?" Silvy asked everyone.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea any longer," Virizion voiced.

"She's right. Munna probably knows now that we are all here," I added.

"That's true… We originally split up so Munna's gang wouldn't notice us. But if we get in another tight spot like back there, I'd rather have all of us together. Safety in numbers, right?" Emolga said.

"Got it. Then we'll stick together from here on out," Silvy announced.

"But…what d'you think happened to Umbreon and Espeon? I wonder if they're OK…"

"I'm worried, too, but right now we have to focus on destroying the Bittercold. That's what they would want us to do," I reassured.

"And it's not just for Umbreon and Espeon. All of the Pokémon who aren't here, everyone back in Paradise and Post Town. Like Dunsparce, who chose willingly to stay behind in Paradise and try to convince the others… And not only him. Herdier…Lillipup…and Swanna and all the others… They are all trying their best to convince everyone to believe in us. To believe we will destroy the Bittercold for them. So we have to believe in them, too. We have to believe that Umbreon and Espeon are OK. We have to continue on this path."

"That's right. We must keep faith," Virizon said.

"It'll all to save this world! We'll believe in them and do our best!" Emolga cried.

"Come on. Time is running out."

Thump.

"Hah...hah… Was that the last of them? It was a nasty battle…but it looks like we've finally broken through. But there sure were an unusually large number of enemies," Umbreon wheezed.

"Never mind that now! Right there! Don't you see that? What could it be?" Espeon wondered.

"Let's go check it out!" Umbreon said.

After escaping an ambush, they fled into an unknown area of the Glacier Palace. Strange as it was, there was door that used to close the entrance that they came through. After catching their breaths they pressed forward, curious as to where they were and what lied ahead that caught Espeon's eye.

They came out into a clearing, thunder echoing in the sky and electricity coursing through the dome in front of them. The dome was sealed with blocks of ice, keeping something in or keeping Pokémon out.

"What is this place?" Umbreon wondered.

"I suppose it's…a tower of ice? And it seems there's an electric field running over the surface of the ice," Espeon observed.

"And doesn't that look suspiciously like a door to you? Kinda makes me feel like this tower's made to keep something in…or someone…" Umbreon said ominously.

"You know, Umbreon… Thinking about all those enemies back there, do you think they might have been guarding this place?" Espeon said.

"Hmm. If that's true, there must be something here that's important to them," Umbreon concluded.

"You don't think it's…the Bittercold?!"

"I wonder… When we came to the Glacier Palace before, we were assuming the Great Crystal would be somewhere higher up, closer to the top of the palace. But that doesn't make it impossible."

Umbreon stepped closer to the door and began examining it.

"It looks like it's built pretty strong. We might be able to open it from this side by applying a bit of pressure," Umbreon suggested.

"In other words, you want to ram it. Well, I'll do my best," Espeon cheerfully said.

"Knew I could count on you, Espeon. It should be the quickest way to get it."

The both of them lined up side by side in front of the doors and braced themselves.

"On the count of three, then. One… Two… Three!"

BAM!

Their combine charge allowed them to break down the wall of ice and enter the room that was sealed up.

"I think it worked! Wonderful!"

"You're right."

While Espeon felt giddy at their efforts, Umbreon began looking around the room. He then spotted something familiar lying on the ground under a makeshift window.

"Wait… Are those…"

Umbreon and Espeon walked over to the objects lying all over the ground.

"Umbreon! They're Entercards!"

"And they look like the ones we picked up beneath the glacier…"

Noting the Entercards lying about made Espeon take a closer look all over the room.

"Umbreon! Over there! There's someone in here!" Eespeon frantically said.

Over in a corner was an unknown Pokémon laying in pain next to more Entercards. It was a small stallion like Pokémon with a fiery red mane. Bordering the mane were two indigo fins that arced downwards to its neck. Its cornflower blue tail matched the large patch of fur that sprouted from the back of its head and leafed out from chest area. The rest of its body was a cream color as well as the horn growing from its head.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Espeon worriedly cried.

"Ngh…"

"Thank goodness! It looks like he's still breathing," Umbreon said, relieved.

"…Y-you… you actually…came… Th…thanks… It was a pretty long shot, but I guess…all hope wasn't lost…after all… We've gotta hurry…and get away," the Pokémon feebly muttered.

"You're weak, kid. Don't do anything crazy."

"Umbreon… Don't you think this Pokémon could be…"

"It's obvious, isn't it? No doubt this is Keldeo."

"How…did you know my…name?"

"We've climbed so high… But we still haven't reached the top?" Virizon asked.

Another room used for resting was being occupied by us. In our quick breather we began to muse about our progress and the Bittercold.

"So far, there's no sign of the Bittercold, huh? Not that we even know what it's supposed to look like…" Emolga added.

"I still don't have that suffocating feeling. I guess that means we're still pretty far from the Bittercold then," Silly noted.

"But there's still Munna and Kyurem and the rest of them to worry about. Be on guard," I warned.

We each took ate an Oran Berry and proceeded up the nearby stairs to the next floor. As we proceeded farther up the palace, the walls and ceiling began to shake.

"What was that?! It was like a huge earthquake!" Emolga said frantically.

"What could be happening now?" Silvy worryingly said.

"It definitely doesn't seem like anything good. Let's hurry onward," Virizon urged.

We didn't need any more encouragement. This rumbling could only be of sign of terrible things coming so we hurried to other end of the hall we were in.

"Somehow, this place looks a little different, doesn't it?" Emolga said.

"It's so dark I can hardly see a thing…" Virizon said.

Rustle…Rustle…

"Everyone…. Careful! Something's in here!" I warned.

"You!"

"I-isn't that voice-?!" Silvy began.

"It's Munna's Voice!" I cried

"Why could you possibly want to save this world?! This cold, harsh, broken world!" Munna yelled harshly.

The room then was lit brightly and we found ourselves surrounded by four Gigalith, a Chandelure, Munna, and Toxicroak. We had walked right into a trap.

"Whoa!" Emolga said, startled

"So they've got us surrounded after all!" I said grimly

"My friends here, all of them are Pokémon who are sick of this rotten world!"

"Croa-ka-ka-ka!"

"Chaaaaaaahhh!"

"Gigaaaaaaaahhh!"

All of them crept closer forcing us to step to the point of being back-to-back.

"This absurd world! This unfair world! A world where only the honest suffer! A world where evil flourishes unchecked! A world like this… It deserves to be destroyed!" Munna hatefully said.

"Everyone! Look out!" Silvy cried.

"This world HAS to be destroyed! Not one of you will be allowed to get past this point! Never!"

All of Munna's allies tensed themselves to attack.

"All together now… GOOOOOO!"

""ROOOOWAARRRRR!""

"Scatter!" I ordered.

Instead of acknowledging my order, they acted immediately and did their best to evade the oncoming attacks and charges. The resulting explosion of Rock Blast, Power Gem, Flame Burst , and Poison Sting coming together caused a couple of us to tumble to ground after jumping out of the way. I intended to jump over the Gigalith but one of them was faster than the others and his attack hit my leg causing me to spin wildly before crashing on the floor. Emolga flew above and began to strike down Munna and her allies with Shockwave. Silvy didn't just avoid the attacks, but took down one Gigalith by draining his health through a Giga Drain. Any fatigue she may have had before the attack and during, melted away as she landed.

Virizon avoided the attacks nimbly as she ran towards another Gigalith. The Gigalith was very surprised to see his enemy was running towards him rather than away, but that surprise turned into a pained expression before it collapsed through a Sacred Sword attack. Everyone was holding their own so I couldn't let myself be weighed down by an injured leg. I forced myself to stand but the pain made me fall back down.

"Croak…"

Toxicroak was in front of me and had a sinister look on his face.

"Here's some payback from before and for what your friend just inflicted on me!"

I could tell he had been hit by Emolga's Shockwave attack as there were traces of electrical burns on his body. Before I could move, he flung a powerful uppercut into my stomach, launching me into the air.

"Guhwa!"

The air was knocked out of me as I was launched up.

"I got you, Shin!"

Emolga came in and got me by the ears. I was knocked unconscious by his Revenge attack, an attack that grew stronger if he was hurt before the strike. When Emolga realized that I wasn't conscious,

"Silvy! Shin is out!"

"What?!"

Silvy made a horrified look of disbelief but Virizon tried to get her to calm down.

"Silvy, stay focused! Go to Shin and help!"

"O-OK…"

Her face was full of concern but she knew that if she lost focus now, then everything would be in vain. She ran forward and struck at a Gigalith that was blocking her path.

"Get out of my way!"

She summersaulted over the Gigalith while striking with her Leaf Blade. Virizion followed close behind and finished it off with Sacred Sword. Meanwhile, Emolga was trying desperately to keep afloat and evade Toxicroak's attacks. He tried to jump and swat us down, but Emolga would just barely move far enough to avoid being struck. Frustrated, Toxicroak turned his attention to Silvy and Viririzion who were slashing their way to me and Emolga.

"Croa-ka! Come and get it!"

Toxicroak sprinted ahead, determined to strike down Silvy with his Pursuit attack, a move that increased in damage if the opponent had a negative status condition like poison. Instead of striking Silvy, his Dark-type move hit Virizion.

"Surprise."

Instead of mockery or frustration, what Toxicroak displayed was fear at the fatal error he made. The last thing he saw was gentle glow of Virizion's horns leaving a trail of light as it came at him.

The other Gigalith were unnerved by the loss of two of their brothers and one of their leaders, so they backed off behind Munna. Emolga, relieved to see Silvy and Virizion, landed and then collapsed from exhaustion.

"Shin!"

There was no response from me so Silvy began to panic more.

"Silvy, get the Reviver Seed! Quick!"

"R-right...!"

Stammering from concern she took out her bag and looked through it. She found what it was she was looking for, a small seed. This seed could bring back a Pokémon from the plane of unconsciousness. She placed over my body and then glowed softly before turning to a black husk of what was once a chestnut colored seed. I then began to open my eyes.

"Ugh. That really hurt," I weakly said.

""Shin!""

Relief was in everyone's faces as they were glad to see me alive. There wasn't time to stay happy as Munna floated over to us.

"Why? WhywhyWHY!?" Munna yelled. "Why must you continue to get back up!?"

Frustration and anger were in her eyes as she gathered energy into her head to attack us. This was a Psychic-type move called Zen Headbutt. Everyone got away except me. I didn't let Munna scare me as I clashed with her attack with my Iron Tail. I pushed back Munna and she could only glare at me with a venomous look.

"Grr... Don't you dare look down on me, Shin!"

"I'm not. I won't let you stop me, Munna."

"Gaaaah!"

She cried out in pain as she was struck with Thunderbolt. Collapsed in a smoldering heap.

"Ngh…"

"Croak…"

"Gigaaaaah…"

Everyone else gathered before me.

"We did it… We finally did it… We finally beat them!" Silvy said happily.

The fanfare was cut short as another earthquake shook the palace.

"A-another tremor?!" Emolga said, surprised.

"We'd better move on. This looks like the highest point we reached the last time we were here. We should be close to the top now. That looks like our path right there," Virizion insisted.

"Yeah. Let's go," I said.

"W-wait…"

Munna weakly cried out to stop us.

"I…won't…let you lot…go any farther. Your fate… Our fate…cannot be changed!"

Munna and everyone else got up and look like they were ready for a second round. They were going to do whatever it takes to stop us. More tremors could be felt each more frequent than the last.

The tremors are coming more often now…

"Why? Why would you go to such extremes?" Silvy asked.

"Because all of my friends here… They were all…forsaken by the world!" Munna revealed.

"Croak…"

"Gigaaaah…."

"Just as I was! We were toyed with, betrayed and left with nothing but despair! But when I was wandering alone in the depths of despair, I met these Pokémon. And then I met Master Kyurem and I learned the truth about this world's fate. These Pokémon here accepted me…even when I had nothing. They reached out to me. They related to me. That was when…I decided. We could do it together. WE could bring everything to an end, together. Me, my friends, and this ill-fated world, everything would disappear. Without even a whimper."

"I understand why you lost faith in the world, Munna. But… If you really care about your friends, how can you think it's a good thing for all of them to disappear?" Silvy asked, sadly.

"What are you saying?!"

"How dare you call those Pokémon your friends! You don't deserve such a blessing if you want them to disappear! What kind of a friend would willingly want that?!" I questioned.

"If you really cared about them, you wouldn't want them to disappear. If they're really your friends, then you should want them to be happy. Don't you want that for them?" Silvy insisted.

"Ha! Tell me how anyone can be happy in this miserable world! All that exists in this world is pain! And to escape that pain, you have to disappear. That's what I wanted for my friends, to take them away from that pain. But…if we disappeared one at a time, those left behind would suffer even more."

"Crrroak…"

Tears could be seen in Toxicroak's eyes as he felt touched by Munna's words.

"So if we all disappear together, then there won't be any pain left!"

"Sniff…"

"Everything will be OK as long as we all disappear together!"

"Sniffle…"

Not a dry eye in Munna's party, I thought. How sad…

"Come on, you lot!" Munna barked.

""YEAAAAAHHH!""

In a final gambit, Munna and her friends charged right at us at once, leaving no openings for us to escape through. Things looked grim as time was quickly running out.

Stop!

All of us froze as a blinding light flashed and then the room was without light. A Magnagate opened with Umbreon, Espeon, and an unknown Pokémon came out.

"Umbreon! Espeon!" Emolga cried.

"Thank goodness! It looked as if we're still in time!" Espeon said, relieved.

"K-Keldeo!" Virizion said, stunned and amazed.

Munna herself was just as surprised. "Keldeo?!"

"What? You mean THE Keldeo?!" Silvy asked.

The Magnagate closed and it was just us that remained in the room.

"Keldeo! How did you escape form the tower?! Oh! You little meddlers!"

"I've heard most of the story from Umbreon here," Keldeo began. "Munna! I am sorry for you, but Shin and the others are going ahead, to do what they came here to do! I'm gonna see to that!"

"You—!"

"Espeon! What's this about a tower?" I asked.

"Keldeo was locked in a tower of ice. He was being kept prisoner here in the Glacier Palace this whole time!"

"That's where you're wrong! Keldeo let himself be caught on purpose! All because he thought he could convince us to change our plans!"

"What?!"

Silvy's disbelief in Munna's revelation even shocked me.

"The first time this guy came to the Glacier Palace, he made it all the way to the legendary Great Crystal. He even learned of the secret of the Bittercold I invited him to join our cause. To be one of us and help us destroy the world! But he rejected us!"

"Of course I'd reject an idea like that. I couldn't agree to a future of destruction. After I said no to them, Kyurem and Munna's gang chased me relentlessly. There were a lot of times when I wasn't sure I would make it. But…as I ran, I began to have my doubts. I began to wonder if Munna and the others really were determined to end the world. And so I came back here. I came back to try to convince them to reconsider. But these guys wouldn't listen to a thing I said. So in the end I was captured…and locked up here in the Great Palace."

"What else would expect? Of course we wouldn't listen to your pretty lies!"

"I wonder about that. It looked to me like you had your own doubts. It still looks that way, in fact."

"No! No! You're wrong! There is not a single good thing about this world for any of us! That's why we all want to disappear together! If we're together, we won't be sad or scared. Not ever again!"

"Sniff…"

"Sniffle…"

"There's no good in this world, and that's why we have no choice but to disappear!"

"No good in this world?! Sure there is!" Silvy protested vehemently.

"You have your friends, don't you?" I said.

"Even if your goals are pretty messed up, your feelings are for each other are true, right? You're all working hard together to make it through! Aren't you all alive right now thanks to one another?!" Silvy argued.

"Sniffle…sniffle…"

"And you're just gonna throw that all away and disappear?" Emolga asked.

"Sniff…"

"You all want to disappear so badly that you would lose your precious friends to do it?!" Virizion said.

"Sniffle…"

"I know the world may be rotten right now! But if we can make this a world worth living again, then wouldn't you want to stay here with your friends?" Silvy asked.

"A world…worth living in? Is such a world…even possible? Even if you could save the world now, do you really think such a future could come?"

"It will!" I cried. "I'm going to make it so that Pokémon like Silvy have a chance to make it happen!"

As we were talking, the tremors continued to shake the ground. Now, the tremors couldn't stop.

"Th-the tremors are—!" Emolga started.

"Lady Munna! The icicles—they are a-shaking, ma'am!" one Gigalith reported.

"Croaaaak! That huge icicle! It's gonna collaaapse!"

"I-it's falling this way!"

"Watch out!"

"Run for it!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

The huge icicle that was nearby was cracking more and more as the tremors got worse. It got to the point where it began falling towards us. I yelled out at Silvy to get out of the way but she was too slow in moving away so I ran to her as fast as I could and I pushed her out of the way. The thing was, I wasn't the only one who helped save Silvy. In the aftermath, a big chasm had formed where the giant icicle had come crashing down. Silvy, Munna, and I were on one side while everyone else was on the other.

"M-Munna…"Umbreon whispered.

"Lady Munna!" Toxicroak cried.

"She…saved Shin and Silvy…" Espeon said.

I groggily got up and saw Munna lay there unconscious.

"Munna!"

"Munna! You OK? Munna!"

"…Don't sound so worried. I'm…fine… Never mind me. Just keep going," Munna urged.

"What?" I said, surprised.

"I've sworn loyalty to Master Kyurem. I can't go any farther than this. So, I'll have to count on you… Please…save the world…" Munna begged tearfully.

"Munna!"

"Shin! Silvy! I'm counting on you, too! Please! Save our world!" Keldo encouraged.

"M…me, too!" Toxicroak said.

"And I!" the Gigalith echoed.

"Please! The fate of the world is up to you!" Chandelure pleaded.

"Shin!"

"Silvy!

"Shin! Silvy!"

"It's all up to you now! Get it done and then hurry back to us! Smash that stupid Bittercold into a million pieces!"

"We will! Munna! And all of you… Thank you! We're going! We're definitely gonna protect this world!"

"Let's go, Silvy. Let's go save the world!"

"OK! We'll be back!"

We said our farewells to everyone behind us and we climbed the stairs leading to the final floors of this palace. I could hear Emolga's words behind us as we hurried ahead.

"You'd better!"

"Ah. So they have gone…"

"That's right! Lady Munna!"

"Lady Munaaaa!"

"Lady Munna!"

Toxicroak and the others began to frantically call out to their friend and leader who was still lying down on the other side.

"Why are you all freaking out? Didn't I already say I'm fine? You useless bunch of…"

"Heh. Looks like you've got some real fans here, Munna," Keldeo joked. "You're a real lucky lady. Ugh…"

Everyone turned their attention to Keldo who had suddenly collapsed from pain.

"Keldeo?!" Virizon said, concerned.

"Are you OK? You've been pushing yourself pretty hard," Umbreon said.

"Keldeo was already quite weak when we first found him, but he insisted on coming. He wouldn't listen to us," Espeon said worryingly.

"I-I'll survive."

"Keldeo…"

"Virizion… I heard it all from Umbreon. I'm so sorry. Everything is my fault. That letter…seems to have caused you a lot of suffering. Just before I sent that letter, I was dodging Kyurem and Munna and the rest of them. Of course I was worried about myself during all those attacks, but I ended up being more worried about you. I knew if Munna started poking around in her hunt for me, she might have found you instead. You were my best friend. If you ended up in danger, too… I just couldn't let that happen. So I sent that letter…to cut off any ties between us. To make sure you were safe."

"Keldeo…"

"But even if I did it for the right reasons, that doesn't change how much doubt and suffering I caused you. I'm so sorry. You were my best friend, and I… I'm sorry…for ever writing one word of that horrible letter."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry! I should have believed in you! No matter what! But I doubted you… I began to doubt the whole world. And finally ended up being cold to everyone… If I had just believed in you from the start… I'm the one who is sorry…for not believing in our friendship. I'm…I'm so sorry! Waaaahhh!

"Virizon…"

"Virizion…"

A lot of emotions poured out of Virizon in her tears. Espeon and Emolga also began to cry as their sympathy for her was great.

"It's kind of odd… I'm the one who should be most to blame here, yet this doesn't make any sense. Let's just put it all behind us. If you'll just be my friend again, if you'll just smile at me again… That's…that's all I need."

Even under the impending doom, reconciliation was still possible. Virizion had found the one thing she hoped and longed for the longest time. Her friend that she had been searching for had finally returned.


	19. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

The top floor. Here there was only one way into the next area and it was clear this was our destination. The shimmers that fell like snow were being sucked into the room so the Bittercold and Kyurem were on the other side.

"Hah…hah… Once we get through here, I think we'll reach the very top. Hah…hah… Where the Bittercold is waiting for us!"

The closer we got to this place, the more Silvy had trouble breathing. The Bittercold was definitely close.

Silvy is really having trouble breathing, I thought as I looked toward the entrance. And the wind seems to be sucking us in toward the entrance. That's right… It's just like that hall in the Glacier Palace. We felt the same wind then. And when we tried to go that way, everyone collapsed because of the Bittercold. This is probably the same thing.

"Hey, Shin? You don't need to worry about me. It's a bit tough, sure, but I can take this. No. I've gotta take it. I'm going to be there with you until the end, Shin! So let's give it all we've got!"

It's too late to ask her to go back. I need to destroy the Bittercold before Silvy collapses…!

I reminded myself of the severity of a Pokémon being near the Bittercold. Silvy was here for my sake despite knowing the risks. I needed to end this now so I led the way into the next room. I stared up at the sky before entering and I saw a dark vortex sucking in the air around it. The only possible explanation for it was that the Bittercold was nearly ready to commence. Silvy reassured me that we would make it in time.

This area was the Great Spire of the Palace, the tall tower that could be seen from below. No doubt Kyurem was waiting at the top along with the Bittercold. The whole environment looked like it was influenced by Kyurem. The ice seemed colder and there wasn't any crags or breaks in it. The higher we went, the colder it became and Silvy's breathing became more and more ragged. I couldn't ask her to leave now that we were beyond the point of no return. Even if I did, she'd just as soon call me crazy for even thinking she'd let me do this alone.

The highest floor was outside and appeared to be a giant arena.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah…"

"Hang on Silvy… We're right at the doorstep…" I urged.

I had to hold her up before she collapsed from lack of clean air.

She seems to be having quite a bit of trouble… I guess that's an ironically good sign, in a way. We're close to the Bittercold. But she's pushing herself too hard. Can she really do this?

"Hah…hah… We're at the top of the spire, right…? It's pretty wide open."

Something then caught her attention and she beckoned me over.

"Oh! Shin! There!" she pointed.

In front of us was a gateway that had the malevolent air being sucked into it. Pitch darkness was the only visible thing beyond it.

"Look! There's strong wind going in that direction," I said.

"The Bittercold may be ahead. No, it is ahead! Let's go, Shin!" she said.

She started to run over towards the gate but I stopped her.

"Wait, Silvy. The keeper won't allow us to proceed so easily…"

"Huh?"

"How, astute, Human."

"That's Kyurem's voice! J-just when we so close—! I really hoped we could get there without running into Kyurem…" Silvy frustratingly said.

"It is true that the Bittercold lies within. However… You two will never reach it!"

In another flash of light, Kyurem appeared and landed before us. Roaring out his challenge. Silvy cringed before the roar, but I wasn't going to falter this time. Not again.

"Kyurem!" I angrily cried.

"Did I not tell you? That if you still harbored the desire to save this world, I would dedicate every fiber of my being to destroying you?!"

"Like we would accept that just because you knocked us around! Not a sad fate like that! Not the disappearance of the whole Pokémon world nor my friends!" I challenged.

"Just give up," Kyurem coldly ordered. "No matter how fiercely you struggle, the future cannot be altered."

"You're wrong! The future is up to us! It's something we can create!" Silvy cried.

"It may be that you could alter some small fate by your own hand. However! In that face of so great a fate as this, you are like a soft breeze against a stone wall! The fate of the world has been decided! It will not be moved!"

"That can't be! If enough breezes blow together, we will form a gale that can break down any wall! That means that together we can overcome any obstacle! Even you!" I defiantly said.

"If that's what you say, then… Prove it! Show me, if you can, how you will overcome me!"

He arced his neck as he was about to strike us with a breath type move.

Oh no…!

I ran to Silvy as she braced herself to endure the move.

"Silvy! Move!"

I pushed her out of the way and we tumbled together as Kyurem's Dragon Breath blasted next to us. His attack was so powerful that it destroyed a large chunk of the ice that was behind us.

"We're finished if we get hit by that," I said.

"What…hah…do you suggest?"

I honestly had no plan to go up against a monster such as Kyurem. We were two small Pokémon against a giant that was nearly ten times our size. But I couldn't let her know.

"We won't be able to do anything from the front. We need to keep him off balance as we attack…"

Kyurem wasn't going to allow us to talk leisurely so he shot up to high into the sky.

"Watch out! It's Kyurem's Fly attack! Don't let him crush you!"

We scatterd once more as Kyurem was falling at breakneck speed. His only target was me. If he could destroy me, then everything would end.

"Sily! He's after me!" I yelled as I jumped out of the way. "Keep up the pressure while he's still only focused on me!"

Silvy acknowledged me by using a Leaf Tornado to confuse Kyurem. He merely took the attack and showed no signs of injury or notice.

"Your fate has already been decided, Human! There is nothing you can do to change it!"

I wasn't going to let his words get to me. I kept dodging his stomps and swung an Iron Tail any chance I could take. Silvy didn't stop chiping away at Kyurem's health as Kyurem grew more and more frustrated at my dodging.

"You can't run away from this!"

After Kyurem made that ominous declaration, the air began to grow colder than it already was. I could actually see the frost in the air as it slowly came towards Kyurem.

"Brace yourself, Silvy!"

She didn't what was going to happen but she understood the urgency in my voice. She readied herself to withstand a powerful attack, Glaciate. Glaciate was Kyurem's signature move where he blew freezing cold are in a wide area to attack his foes. I wasn't going to let Silvy, a Grass-type, suffer a heavy damage from an Ice-type attack. I quickly grabbed an Oran Berry and tossed it Silvy as Kyurem blew the air at us. I felt extremely cold and my body had become stiff and rigid. Moving my body told me that I was still alive and able to fight.

I looked over to where Silvy was and could see her struggle to eat the berry. She was fighting two losing battles, Kyurem and the Bittercold. She couldn't take much more even with Oran Berries. Kyurem rushed at me and then used Slash to get at me while I was still frozen in place. I forced my body to move and only barely managed to duck as his claws swept past me.

"Don't forget about me, Kyurem!"

Again, Silvy let loose another Leaf Tornado and then quickly slashed at Kyurem with her Leaf Blade before backing up away from Kyurem's counterattack.

It's working!

Seeing the weak response from Kyurem, it was clear to me that he had finally began to show signs of fatigue from our guerilla tactics. If we kept this up, he would fall.

"Annoying pest! You shall first!"

Reaching his boiling point, Kyurem began to focus on Silvy. Although reluctant to let him focus on something else, I was still glad I could catch a short break. But I didn't stop. I jumped onto his deformed tail and run up to his back. I pulled a Vile Seed from the bag and smashed on Kyurem. Surprised, Kyurem launched himself into the air and resulting loss of balance made me plummed to the ground.

"Ugh!"

"Shin! You okay?!"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me. Grab the bag and eat an Oran Berry. We only have two left so make them count!"

"But—!"

"Just do. We don't have time! He's coming back"

"Fools! This will not be enough to stop me!"

He roared once more and he motioned his neck to perform Dragonbreath. Silvy got away but I ran straight towards Kyurem.

"Shin! What are you doing?!"

I didn't stop to look at her. My mind was only focused on hitting Kyurem's open mouth right before he performed his Dragon Breath. Right at the last moment, I sent a Thunderbolt directly into the gaping mouth and saw Kyurem close it up in shock and pain. Not stopping to gloat, I slid underneath and let the momentum carry to other side while releasing a continuous Discharge.

Silvy had realized what I did and reluctantly joined the battle by releasing another Leaf Tornado when Kyurem barely stopped his Dragon Breath. While I sliding to get behind him, Silvy drained his energy with Giga Drain. Continuous attacks momentarily stunned Kyurem, but he recovered and twisted himself to hit Silvy with his tail and me with a Slash attack. The attack connected but only pushed me back. There was no stumbling or grunt of pain in my expression.

"How is that possible?!"

"Teamwork."

I uttered on word and Silvy understood my intentions. We both ran at Kyurem. Momentarily shocked by our reckless charge he began to freeze the air in preparation for his Glaciate move.

"You ready Silvy?!"

"Together, Shin!"

Our bodies began to glow a golden light as we ran as fast as we could towards each other. We intended to finish this fight with a Team Attack. Team Attacks could only be done with a party of two or more and only after our spirits were in synch. Dodging attacks, suffering from attacks, inflicting attacks or aiding each other were various methods to boost our synchrony. Silvy and I were already the best partners out there so there was no doubt we could use a Team Attack.

"You will be erased here, Human!"

Sensing our intentions, he began to blow out the cold air. Undeterred, we came together and looked at Kyurem,

""We will change our fate!""

Energy came gushing forth that covered the entire room. The force of the shockwave was enough to stagger even the behemoth that was Kyurem. When the room went quiet, Kyurem gave one last roar and collapsed where we stood.

"Hah…hah… We…we did it! We actually…beat Kyurem…"

"Silvy, we've got to hurry to where the Bittercold is. There's no time left," I urged.

"…W-wait…"

His mighty voice asked us to listen to him, so we turned to him in surprise.

"It is…impossible… I understand now…the strength of your beliefs. But no matter how you struggle, no matter how you try, this is the future and it cannot be canged."

"…. … …"

"…And yet… What lies ahead… What the strength of those beliefs might lead to. That is something I might like to see…"

His cold words had a warm feeling to them. Seeing us struggle so valiantly may have possibly made him see the better half that Pokémon could offer.

"…Kyurem!"

"Prove it, then… Show me the strength of your will. The strength of your spirit."

"Kyurem!"

"You just watch, Kyurem," Silvy said resolutely. "We'll show you true will and spirit! Let's go, Shin!"

"Right!"

The both of us started to go towards the black gate but I hesitated and looked back at Kyurem. The thought of whether he let us win or foresaw this crept on my mind but Silvy insisted that I hurry up and my hesitation vanished.

Inside was a pit of nothingness and evil darkness. On one end was a giant vortex swirling and sucking in the atmosphere around it. Purple lightning could be seen escaping at times as countless large ice chunks floated around or were inevitable sucked into the vortex. In front of the vortex, floating in place, was the biggest ice crystal formation I had ever seen. Nothing about it was pleasant or serene. It was just a huge ice crystal that looked sharp, dangerous, and ominous. At the center of the ice was a core that glowed with a dark color. Even for a human like me, I could feel the immense pressure this thing was giving off.

"So that…is the Bittercold!"

"C…can't…breathe…"

Silvy was coughing and gasping for breath as she feebly uttered these words. She collapsed and I immediately was at her side.

"Silvy! Hang on!"

A voice echoed in the room, a familiar one.

"This is no ordinary wind," the voice warned

"Kyurem's voice!" I said, surprised.

"This wind is made up of the negative emotions of this world's Pokémon. We call this phenomenon the Winds of Despair."

"The Winds of Despair?"

"That is correct. Distrust, despair, hopelessness… All the negative feelings are absorbed by the Bittercold through this wind. The wind becomes a powerful storm, roaring destructively in all directions and the Bittercold uses these Winds of Despair as energy. The feed it. They cause it to grow."

"So that's it. The Winds of Despair are actually made of negative emotion."

I worriedly looked at Silvy.

"And being exposed to the winds up close… No wonder Silvy is having such a hard time."

"…Shin… I'm fine…so just hurry and…destroy…the Bittercold."

"Yeah. Don't follow me. You'd suffocate if you got any closer. Stay here," I ordered.

Silvy nodded and I made my way closer.

"…Aah!"

My chest… I…I can't…breathe… But it's not supposed to affect me! I'm…not a Pokémon!

I had to step back in order to at least be able to breathe to collect my thoughts.

Negative emotions…built into an agony that even I can fell…but even so… It's still probably…not as bad as what Silvy has gone through!

"I've got to keep going!"

I pushed ahead, fighting against the Winds of Despair. Each step was more difficult more than last as the pressure just kept increasing and my breaths became more and more shallow.

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah…"

The Bittercold pulsed out more negative energy that made me flinch.

"Th-the pain is… I can't summon up any more strength. I can't take even one more step forward!"

This can't be happening! Not when I'm this close… I've come this far and now…I can't do a thing to change our fate?! Everyone… Everyone's counting on me, and yet—! I'm supposed to be the one who can save this world, so why am I—! Why can I do nothing?!

The frustration and anger at myself only made me want to push forward more despite the pain. Suddenly a voice echoed in the air.

You can do it!

"Wh…what was that? I thought I heard…"

Don't give up!

"Ugh! I…I wasn't just hearing things!"

You can do it!

"I can…hear it too…"

Don't give up!

"I also hear it," Kyurem voiced.

Don't give up! You can do it!

Don't give up! Don't give up!

"The voices…they're multiplying!"

Don't give up! Don't give up!

You can do it! Don't give up!

The voices kept ringing together. The more the voices echoed, the more the wind began to die down.

"The wind is…"

Don't give up! Don't give up!

Don't give up! Don't give up!

This…this is…

Don't give up! Don't give up!

Don't give up! Don't give up!

Out on the tallest hill in Post Town, Pokémon were chanting the same thing over and over. They were doing everything they could to convey their wishes to me and Silvy.

Don't give up! Don't give up!

"Don't you give up yet!

"Don't give up, hmm!"

"Please don't give up!"

"Don't ye give up on us, now!"

Don't give up! Don't give up!

"You're going to do it!"

"You'll be hearin' from me if ya give up now!"

"You can do it!"

"No giving up now!

Even right below the Great Spire, our friends and former enemies were chanting as well.

"You'd better not give up!"

"Just get it done!"

"Don't stumble now!"

"I believe in you!"

"And I'm counting on you!"

"Don't give up!"

Don't give up! Don't give up!

"This is… Everyone is…"

"These are the voices of the ones who believe in you. The Pokémon are broadcasting their thoughts and wishes to this place. It may not be all the Pokémon in this world, yet there are Pokémon who have turned to face the future again thanks to your call. The number of Pokémon who are clinging to hope has increased. Their voices of support have weakened the Winds of Despair," Kyurem explained.

"…Weakened the winds?"

"That is correct. The positive energy of those Pokémon, it is hindering the movement of the Bittercold."

"I knew it… If we just got everybody to stay positive, I knew we could change the world…and the future!" Silvy said weakly.

"My strength is…coming back to me! I can fight now! Here I go!"

I rushed the Bittercold and jumped into the air. I spun towards it and smashed it with my Iron Tail attack. Looking at the point of impact, there wasn't a single indication of fracture. Undeterred, I sent out a Discharge, hoping to hit as a whole, but again the Bittercold shone with an otherworldly brilliance.

"Rrgh!"

I wasn't about to let it get to me. I charged again and struck the core with another Iron Tail. I used the attack as a springboard and flew up to rain down a Thunderbolt. This time, instead of just floating there in silence, the Bittercold shot back. A dark impulse of negative energy assaulted my body and I was thrown back down to the floor.

"Kuh…! Not going down without a fight?!"

As a sign of intent, another negative impulse shot out but I stood there and withstood the attack. I ran up to the Bittercold and used Discharge to damage it. I quickly followed it up with more Thunderbolts and Iron Tail strikes, but nothing seemed to faze it. It pushed me back with consecutive pulses of dark energy and I tumbled until I stopped.

I slowly got up. "Hah…hah… Hah…hah… My attacks… My attacks aren't doing anything! Not a one has succeeded in damaging it! No matter how I attack I can't eve scratch the Bittercold! Then how…how can I possibly…"

The Bittercold responded to my disparity and the winds grew stronger once more.

"N-no! Argh! The moment I began to doubt myself, the wind—!"

This wind was worse than before. It felt like my doubt and hopelessness was worth more than ten Pokémon's doubt and negativity.

"Shin! You can' lose faith now! You have to stay strong! I still believe in you!"

Silvy bravely held on against the wind and yelled words of encouragement. She would continue to believe in me no matter the odds.

"The wind—! The Bittercold is—getting even more—!"

More and more ice chunks were getting sucked into vortex as the winds became more and more violent. The palace began to rumble signaling the imminent start of the end of the world.

Outside, the spectators could see that the palace was shaking and the dreadful vortex absorbing the negativity of the world at the peak of the palace had become increasingly violent.

"Grandad! I can see something above the Glacier Palace!"

"Och! What is it? That evil-looking purprle vortex!"

"What is happening now, hmm… I don't feel as though it could be anything good, hmm?"

"Yeah,it sure does give off one wicked feeling, huh… That purple mess purple there…"

"…We all tried to come together and stay positive, but it doesn't seem to be helping at all. It's pretty tough…"

"Even staying positive…seems as though it won't be enough, doesn't it? Reality truly is harsh…"

Noticing that everyone was beginning to falter, Dunsparce reacted quickly.

"Wait! What are you all saying? We can't give up now! The Pokémon who have passed through Post Town are surely spreading the word. And thanks to them, I'm sure Pokémon in other towns are joining in, too! And what about everyone in the square? They are aren't watching the Glacier Palace, but they're still giving it all they've got! What will they do if we start panicking because we can see what's going on? We've got to have more faith…in Shin…and in everyone who went to the Glacier Palace!"

Just then, Rufflet spotted something in the distance.

"Hey! Look, everybody! That purple cloud thingy is… It's getting' even bigger!"

Everyone on the hill turned to see what Rufflet was talking about.

"He's right, yo! Looks like trouble!"

"I knew it! We're doomed, aren't we?!"

"Even coming together now… It was too late for us to change a thing! Right?!"

"Granddad…"

"Lillipup… Ye lot… Don't ye give in to yer fears now! They'll be needin' us to stand strong now. We cannae just… … …"

What's gone wrong? Why is it that my own words sound futile to me own ears?! They dinnae sound like the words o' one who's speakin' from his heart, Herdier alarming thought. Why… Why is it that me own words sound untrue… Could it be that even I … Even me own stout heart is failin' me? Jus' when we were all hopin' to come together…to stand up for hope… No matter how we try, no matter how hard we fight, in the end…our blasted fate…canneae be changed, can it?!

Acknowledging Herdier's words of defeat, the vortex became more violent than before.

"Ugh!"

Silvy mustered all her strength to make the great effort to stand despite the powerful winds.

"Shin! You can't give up! I'm gonna believe until the end! So you've gotta do the same, Shin!"

"Hah…hah… Hah…hah… That's right, I won't give up! I'll wring out…every last bit of strength I've got…and attack!"

I summoned every last bit of strength I had and ran towards the core of the Bittercold.

"AAAUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!"

I slammed my entire self into the core.

"AAAUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!"

I attempted again to ram myself into the core. This time, the Bittercold shook violently in response and the concealed core finally revealed itself. The resulting fragmentation of the ice that broke up floated up into the sky in a glittery dazzle.

On the outside of the Glacier Palace, the lights rose towards the vortex and then entered. Somehow, a reaction occurred that caused the vortex to explode and release all the negative energy it was absorbing. What was left from the brilliant light left over from the explosion was a small rainbow, hovering over the top of the Spiral Tower. Dunsparce noticed it and called everyone attention to it.

"Everyone! Look at that!"

"That's…a rainbow?!"

"He's right! It's a rainbow! Behind the Glacier Palace you can see a rainbow!"

"It cannae be… It cannae be the rainbows of auld days..."

Just as soon as the rainbow appeared, it disappeared once more into the vortex that reformed. The rainbow was whisked away into it and not seen again.

"No! The rainbow…"

"It's disappearing…"

"Whoa! It was only for a few seconds, but everyone saw it, right?!"

"Yes! I saw it!"

"It was a beautiful rainbow!"

"…It's true, then. The bonny memory from the auld days had nearly faded away. But there can be no mistakin' it. That was one o' the Rainbows o' Hope. I'm fair certain of it."

"I knew it! I knew it had to be them! They're back! The Rainbows of Hope! Just seeing them is enough to fill anyone with hope…"

"I want to see them again!"

"Mm-hmm! I would like to see them, mmm, stretched all the way across the sky!"

"I—I'm going to go tell everyone in the square!"

Patrat ran towards the square to tell everyone the news of what they saw.

"Hope! Aye, there's still a bit o' hope left for us, then!"

"Please! Let us see them again!"

"Show me, too! Bring back the Rainbows of Hope!"

"Please! Bring them back for us! Shin!"

"… …The voices… Everyone's voices… I can hear them… Their feelings…their hearts! They are all driving me forward!"

"Shin! You're the person I love the most! So don't lose! GOOOOOO!"

With the last bit of her strength, Silvy yells her words of encouragement and race to finish the Bittercold off.

Defying all the positive energy that was beginning to fill the void, the Bitterold sent out wave after wave of negative pulses. There wasn't anything I could do against it so I merely endured it and charged at the core. One Thunderbolt sent at the core made the Bittercold tremble, indicating that it was finally taking damage. Not stopping, I used Iron Tail to leave a dangerous crack in the core before spring boarding into the air and unleashing a Discharge.

The attack hit all parts of the ice as well as the core. Cracks formed all around the Bittercold, indicating it was nearly destroyed. Just the same, I too was nearing the end of my rope. I grabbed the last item I had and clutched it in my hands before going in for the final strike.

"Haaaaaah...!"

My tail lit up and I jumped to deliver the blow. There wasn't anywhere I could escape, though, as an impulse of darkness assaulted me. The blow knocked me off balance and tumbling down onto the ground. I lied there motionless for a few moments.

"Just as planned."

My strength surged forth and released a Thunderbolt to the core, destroying it for good. Just before the pulse of energy, I crushed the Reviver Seed that was clutched in my hand, in case I couldn't finish off the Bittercold off with the previous strike. If I hadn't had kept it with me, all would have surely been lost.

The air began to grow hot as the core was lighting up from being destroyed. The ice crystal that it was nothing but a memory as it was shattered and fragmented in various places from our fight. The Bittercold exploded and Silvy and I were sucked into the light of its destruction.

When I opened my eyes, ice chunks of various sizes were raining down on us. The vortex was gone and the Bittercold was finally destroyed.

"W-we did…Shin… You finally…defeated the Bittercold…"

"Yeah… WE…did it…Sil..vy…"

The both us had no more strength to support us, so we collapsed in the void where the Bittercold had once stood.

Outside, the sky had become the brilliant blue it once was and something magnificent was hovering behind the Glacier Palace.

"Ohhh! The rainbows! I can see the rainbows! And they seem even clearer than they used to be!"

"That, mmm, purple haze is all gone, too!"

"An' in its place…the Rainbows o' Hope!"

Just as Herdier described, the fabled Rainbows of Hope were shining down for all to see. Three surreal circular rainbows connected by one true rainbow was displayed in the sky for the world to see.

"They're showing up clear and beautiful!" Dunsparce said.

The serenity of the Rainbows of Hope was a clear foil to what was happening inside the Glacier Palace. Chaos ensued as the Glacier Palace was collapsing on itself since the Bittercold, what had kept the ice floating, was now gone.

Kyurem struggled to stand back up and let out a mighty roar and disappeared in a flash of light. The Glacier Palace fell down into the ocean of where it hovered over, everything there destroyed and ruined.

"Th-the Glacier Palace…it's collapsin'."

"Collapsing? Oh, no! What about Shin and the others? I think they're still in there!

P-please, Dunsparce hoped. Please let everyone…be OK…

"… … …Mmm… Ugh… Wh…where am I…" I moaned.

I awoke to find myself floating in a surreal space. Fog was drifting at our feet and stars floated all around us.

"Th-this is… That's right… I think I must've…blacked out after the Bittercold shattered…"

I looked around and I couldn't see any sign of life or land. Just stars and fog floating around us. I turned around and found Silvy lying unconscious.

"Silvy!"

I tried to shake her to wake her up.

"Ngh… Shin! It's really you, right?! You're really OK, Shin? Thank goodness!"

She embraced me without warning and I let myself hold her tight as well, also relieved to see she was OK.

"…But…where are we?"

"That's a good question."

Together we looked around us, questioning our location.

"D-don't tell me… We aren't in…the spirit world or something, right?!"

"No. This a place deep within your own subconscious," a voiced echoed.

"Deep within your minds…"

"This voice…it's Kyurem!" I said, shocked.

Just as I spoke his name, Kyurem materialized in front of us, just like before.

"K-Kyurem!"

"You two… You have changed the future irrevocably. The future is truth. It is a thing that must not be changed. It is the true path that we must follow."

"… … …"

"And yet, I do wonder. If you have the determination and bravery to create a new destiny for yourself, then perhaps there is also a sort of truth…in daring to face a different tomorrow. Perhaps there is still worth in the Pokémon of this world. You two have proven that. I owe you my gratitude. I give you my thanks."

Kyurem roared once more and we were engulfed in a flash of light. When we awoke, we found ourselves in the crossroads leading to Post Town, Paradise, and the open road.

"Th-this is…the road that lies outside…" I whispered.

"Shin! We blacked out at the Glacier Palace, right? So how'd we get here?!" Silvy said, confused.

"Heeeeey!"

Emolga's voice could be heard calling out to us, when we turned to Paradise, everyone that had come with us was with him.

"E-everyone!" I cried.

"Thank goodness! I can't believe the two of you aren't hurt! That's really…great…you know? Sniffle…" Emolga sniffed emotionally.

"And you all… Th-thank…goodness… But how did you all… Did you end up using the Entercards to escape?" Silvy asked.

"Nope, the truth is we'd hoped to use them, but…there wasn't any time for that," Keldeo answered.

"Plus we still had to worry about Munna and the others. There was no way we could get all of 'em into the Magnagate in time. And besides, there's no way we were gonna leave you guys and head home on our own! But just as we were standing around wondering what to do, the Glacier Palace started falling apart, just like that!" Emolga explained.

"But what happened after that is a true mystery," Espeon said.

"Yeah, the next thing we knew, we were all back here in Paradise," Umbreon said, mystified.

"Wha—? You were? Then it's the same as us! I feel like I had some kind of dream and the nesxt thing I noticed, I was here. I don't know how we were all saved. What could have happened? It really is a mystery…" Silvy wondered.

I suppose…it was Kyurem. Kyurem must have saved us. Me…and everyone else. I'm sure even Munna and her gang as well. Kyurem said at that end that he owed us. This must be his way of thanking us.

"Hm? What's wrong, Shin? Do you have an idea as to how we were saved?"

"Oh, uh..no, not really. I was just thinking, too, what could have happened," I lied.

"Well, I don't really get it, but I guess all's well that ends well! Everybody seems to have made it out alright," Emolga said happily.

"I guess so. I suppose thinking about it isn't gonna get me any answers," Silvy said dissapointingly.

"That's right. I may not be quite as carefree as Emolga, but well, shouldn't we basically be celebrating right now? I think someday we may understand how we were saved. As long as we don't forget how grateful we should be when that day comes," Virizon reassured.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Silvy said, convinced.

"What was that, Virizion?! You trying to make me sound like some kinda carefree fool or something?" Emolga roared.

"Oh? And here I thought I was complimenting you," Virizion teased.

"My, my, you two. When did you become such good friends?" Espeon remarked knowingly.

"What?! We-we're not…friends or anything! We're fighting, just like we always do, aren't we?!"

"Hmm, are you really? The tone somehow seems a little different than usual," Espeon winked.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Siilvy added.

"Mm-hmm… Emolga… Did something perhaps…happen between the two of you?" Espeon probed.

"N-n-nothing at all! Not a blessed thing! No way!"

"Well, isn't that a delightful reaction! You really are quite the open book, aren't you, Emolga?" I joked.

"Hahahahah"

Espeon laughed and the rest of joined in on Emolga's teasing. We all knew what was going on Emolga's head but he continued to deny everything.

"Shin! Silvy!"

While we laughed, which felt we haven't done in forever, Dunsparce found us and called out to us.

"Dunsparce!"

"And the rest of the team, too! Everyone came back alright! You're really…all…alright… Sniffle…sniffle…"

Dunsparce was overwhelmed by his happiness and relief that we had all come back in one piece. His tears were those of happiness. We came can gathered around Dunsparce.

"We're back, Dunsparce."

"We came back, just like we said we would."

"No need to cry, Dunsparce. Didn't I tell you there wasn't anything to worry about?"

"…Y-you did… But…when the Glacier Palace collapsed like that, I couldn't help worrying about you all…"

"Well… Yeah, even I didn't know what was gonna happen then," Emolga admitted. "But shin and everyone turned out to be fine, so… I guess we just have to call it an unexplained wonder, huh?"

"That's it! Speaking of unexplained wonders, right after the Glaicer Palace collapsed, the rainbows appeared!"

"Rainbows?" Silvy asked.

Dunsparce hurried us to get to the top of the hill in Post Town. On the way, he explained just how amazing the rainbows were.

"…It's true!" I said, amazed.

"Amazing! They're as clear as day! What…beautiful rainbows…" Silvy said, enchanted.

"D…Dunsparce! These rainbows—could they be?!" Emolga stammered.

"Yup! Herdier and the others called them the Rainbows of Hope."

"The Rainbows of Hope…" I whispered.

"Is that right! So those are the famous Rainbows of Hope!" Silvy remarked.

"They've finally been revived. They rainbows that are said to rekindle the flames of hope in the hearts of all who see them," Virizion explained.

"Heh! Looks like things have worked out pretty nice! The Bittercold was destroyed, the Glacier Palace crumpled to pieces, and now the Rainbows of Hope have reappeared. I'm pretty sure, yup, there's just no denying it."

"You are right, Emolga, sir. The world has been saved."

An apparition of a Dragon Pokémon appeared before Emolga. This Dragon Pokémon was one we thought was lost at the hands of Kyurem back in the Scorching Desert.

"Aaah! It's a monster!" Emolga screamed.

"H-Hydreigon?!" I said, amazed and confused.

"That's right! I am Hydreigon. It has been a while, hasn't it, Shin?"

"B-but Hydreigon… You were… After Kyurem froze you, he lashed out and you…you were shattered into a million pieces, right?! A-are you…a ghost?" Silvy asked.

"Whaaaat?! A g-g-ghost?!" Dunsparce stammered.

"No, no, no, no, no! I'm most definitely not a ghost or anything! No, I am not a ghost! I am the Voice of Life! The only thing Kyurem destroyed was my physical form. Even if my body is scattered on the wond, the Voice of Life will not simply disappear. If I disappeared, that would mean the whole world had been destroyed! Hahahahahahahah!"

Such a joke wasn't funny to us. That had to be the most terrifying joke Hydreigon could make as we needed him in order to continue living. Everyone else had looks that thought the same thing.

"But more importantly… All of you here, thank you so very much. The world was saved, thanks to all of you," Hydreigon gratefully said.

"Hehe…"

The praise that Hydreigon was going to Emolga's head. Before Emolga could gloat with his newfound title, more voices sounded behind us.

"Shin! Silvy! You two made it back!" Gurdurr said, surprised

"How wonderful…that you are alright," Swanna teafully voiced

"Mmm…mm-hmm… Boo-hoo-hoommm! Sniffle… I'm so happy, hmm? It's so, mmm, good to see you all…alive and well," Quagsire cried.

"Heeeeeey! Guys! You listening?! Shin and the others are all back!" Gurdurr yelled out below.

""What? Shin and the others?!""

"Yeah! They're up on the hill right now! All hail the returning heroes, you hear! We're gonna party hard tonight!"

""YEAAAAAAAHHH!""

Gurdurr then ran at us and began carrying me and Silvy on his shoulders. More Pokémon came from below and swarmed us to give their thanks and congrulations.

"Whoa!" I said, caught off guard.

"Ye lads and lasses… I cannae thank ye enough… But thank ye! Och, bless ye! Oooh… Dry yer eyes, Herdier, ol' boy!"

"You have saves us all! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!" Leavanny thanked.

"Silvy! We tried our hardest, too!" Lillipup proudly declared.

"Yeah! We were able to break the Bittercold because you were all standing behind us! We're the ones who should be thanking you all, really!"

"Waaaaaaahhh! I'm s-so-sorry! I didn't believe in you guys! But, the Rainbows of Hope! The Rainbows of Hope are back! It's all 'cause of you guys! Thanks! Waaaaaahhh!"

And that was how the gratitude of the Pokémon poured down upon us without cease. No, it wasn't just the Pokémon. The gentle sunshine on our faces, the mountains and the rivers, even the clear sky above us. They all seemed to be thanking me and the rest of us that day. And that night, in honor of our new peace, we built up a bonfire and a great celebration began. Everyone from Post Town came to the square and partied like they have never celebrated before. Even traveling Pokémon came when they heard the news. Not a soul was standing idly around, sulking. Everyone was somewhere talking to someone or having fun in the festivities, even me.

"Thank goodness the world was saved. Yup."

"Yes! I couldn't agree more!"

"Aye right! Even a human like you found it hard to breathe in the face of the crushin' power o' the Bittercold?! But ye even o'ercame it… And saved the world. Bless ye, child."

"Ahaha… Please. I just did what I wanted to do. All this celebration and happiness is enough, thanks. I'm glad everything came out alright," I said, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't believe in you guys when I should've!"

"Me, too!"

"I was no better!"

"Naw! None of you twerps have anything to feel bad about! I'm the one who… I didn't believe in 'em, even though I was right there in Paradise with 'em! I'm…I'm the worst of all you losers! Silvy! I'm s-so sorry, dude! I really am this time! Unlike all those other times I said it!"

"No! I'm definitely the worst of all!"

"No, I am!"

"That's enough, everyone. But thanks anyway," Silvy assured.

Inside Swanna's inn, everyone was just as merry as the Pokémon outside.

"Everyone! Everything is on the house tonight! Dig in and don't hold back!"

"Alright!"

"You aint a face I've seen around here before. Faces, I guess I should say."

Hydreigon regretfully tore away from his fruit meal to answer Timburr.

"That's right. This is probably the first time I've imposed on you here in Post Town."

"Meh, I don't care who ya are. This is a day to party! Don't hold back or nothin'! Please eat as much as you'd like!"

Hydreigon's eyes glittered at the offer Timburr made. "Is that right? Well, I suppose I'll just have to take you up on your kind words, then!"

"Hehe… This feels pretty good!" Emolga admired.

"Yeah. This is the best night ever," Dunsparce agreed.

"…Hmm… I can still remember when Silvy and Shin first showed up in this town," Quagsire reminisced. "I never would have thought, mmm, that those two would do so much for us. Never could have imagined it, hmm? I'm glad I became the assembler of Paradise, hmm? I'm, mmm, glad that I could support Shin…and the rest of you. Boo-hoo-hoommm!" Quagsire tearfully said.

"What?! Keldeo, you gambled on leaving these Entercards at the glacier with nothing more to go on than the slight chance someone might find them?!" Espeon said, astounded.

"That's right. When I was locked up in that tower of ice, there was some kind of commotion one day at the Glacier Palace. Since I was just a prisoner, I didn't get to find out what had happened. But it still made me feel certain of one thing. Someone else had finally made it to the unexplored reaches of the Glacier Palace. And that was when I thought if someone was clever enough to make it all the way to the Glacier Palace, then there might just be a chance it could work. Someone like that ought to notice even the tiniest detail. I didn't have much choice except to believe in such Pokémon and leave it up to them. I couldn't activate a Magnagate from where I was locked inside that tower, but I could still make Entercards, at least. I knew the Glacier Palace would end up airborne sooner or later. Waiting for that day in my tower, I made a set of Entercards that could cross the sky. And when the Glacier Palace finally did rise up in the sky, I took those Entercards and scattered them from my grated window."

"Unbelievable! How could you possibly bet on such a slim chance? If it have been me, I would have surely thought of a better way to escape," argued Espeon.

"Wha—? WHAAT?! Sob… I-I'm sorry… That was the best pan I could come up with…" Keldeo sobbed.

Everyone had become uncomfortable with Keldeo suddenly becoming depressed after being criticized by Espeon.

I didn't think he'd crumble that quickly under a bit of criticism! What a guy…, thought Umbreon.

"But thanks to Espeon's intuition, even that slim chance was enough for us to find the cards, you know?" Virizion defended.

"Well that is true. But it mostly just seems like another unexplained wonder," Espeon said, unconvinced.

"There were a lot of those kinds of wonders this time around. If Shin weren't here, we wouldn't ever have been able to destroy the Bittercold," Umbreon explained

"And if everybody here hadn't come together like they did, then even Shin wouldn't have been enough," Virizion continued.

"And if we hadn't found the Entercards that Keldeo made, we never would have even made it to the Glacier Palace in the first place."

"That's right! I saved the day, huh?" Keldeo said happily, spirits renewed.

"Oh, my. But wasn't it the two of us that had to save you, Keldeo?" Espeon happily countered.

"Sob… That's right… I had to be saved…"

"…Psst… Hey, Virizon," Umbreon whispered. "…Is Keldeo always like that?"

"…Shh. In a pinch, he's the best Pokémon in the world to have by your side. …But the mood swings, yes, unfortunately, they're also par t of the same Keldeo I've always known," Virizion giggled. "It's OK! You did a whole lot for us, Keldeo!"

Keldeo's spirit once again shot back up. "Yeah! Yeah, I guess I did! Thanks, Virizion!"

"At any rate, without Shin and Silvy, really, if any single Pokémon from the team hadn't been there, we never would have succeeded. We wouldn't have been able to save this world," Umbreon concluded.

"That's right. Tonight is really thanks to the courage of everyone here, and so many wondrous things happening in time. Everyone here is a star in this tale. Everyone here was a hero or heroine!" Espeon cheered.

"That's what we're here to celebrate tonight! Let's all kick back and enjoy ourselves!" Virizoin said.

Up on the hill, there was a soft breeze blowing and the moon was full. I had come up here alone to get away from the festivities for a moment.

"Phew. I could use a break from all the excitement. Maybe I'll just go stargaze for a bit."

I walked towards the edge of the cliff and sat down to take a load off. Hydreigon flew from out of nowhere next to me.

"Shin…"

"Hydreigon."

"Shin… Please allow me to express my formal and sincere thanks to you. You listened to my request and granted my wish. You saved my world. And now my dream Shin, your part in this world has come to an end."

"It has hasn't it? Hope has returned to Pokémon and there's this sense of peace that everyone is happy about," I said calmly. "…But that's not why you're here, is it…?"

"Well… I hate to be the one to have to say anything, but the long-term presence of a human in this world is not possible."

"What do you mean? What could happen?"

"It would create a distortion that would strain the very fabric of the universe," he said grimly.

"A…distortion?"

"What this means…Shin… is that I must send you back. Back to the human world."

"Back to the human world… Yes… I know. So we were right… Saving this world means leaving it. I knew that it couldn't be like this forever, but I just didn't think it would be this soon, Hydreigon…"

"Shin… This makes me so very sad. I seem to have grown quite attached to you, Shin… But I'm sorry. This is something that I cannot alter or change. I am sure you must also have many regrets about this, Shin…"

"…Regrets, huh? My greatest regret…has to be…that one thoughtless moment. Silvy brought it up then, about my leaving once this world would be saved. If I was here for a specific task, then it made sense I'd leave just as soon as it would finish. That's what I thought. Silvy then voiced her opinion in staying here instead of leaving. And I…I foolishly said yes. She was so happy when I agreed. Without thinking…I promised Silvy that I would stay with her forever. It looks like…I'll be breaking that promise…"

"Sinffle… It will happen tomorrow. Enveloped in a brilliant light, you will be carried up into the sky…" Hydreigon tearfully explained.

"Just like the lights that I once watched from this very spot?! Kyurem told me the truth about them, didn't he, about those lights…? And now it's finally my turn to return. Surrounded by that light, I will go back to my own world… The human world…"

"Correct… But there is one more…painful truth that it is my duty to impart."

"Which is…?"

"Once you are wallowed up in that light, Shin… All of your time here in the Pokémon world…and all you did… will disappear from the memories of the Pokémon remaining here."

"Wh-what?! The Pokémon will… Everyone will…forget me? They'll forget all the memories we shared?!"

"Yes, I'm sorry. It really is…terribly heartbreaking, and I am so sorry. I am the Voice of Life and so I will not forget you, Shin. But…everyone else… Sob."

"When I am surrounded by that light, everyone else will forget me… All our memories, all the time we've spent together… It will all disappear. It really…hurts…"

"Tomorrow…I will stay with you as far as I can along the way. Sniffle…sniffle… Would you…like to say farewell to everyone tonight?"

"… … …I would, but… I don't want to make them all sad right now. If I am going to disappear from their memories, then saying good-bye to Silvy and everyone else tonight would just cause them pain for no reason. So I'll go…without saying anything… So no, Hydreigon. I don't want to say good-bye to anyone tonight."

"You…you're not going to say good-bye?! …I see. No, it makes sense. I understand. Then tomorrow morning…please come here to the hill. We will set out together."

I don't think I even remember falling asleep when I went back down to Paradise. I think I just went straight to bed. Silvy came in wandering in later in the night looking for me and found me pretending to be asleep. She merely shrugged and went back to the festivities. When she did come to sleep, I just sat up and watched the sky turn from night to day. When it was time to go, I looked at Silvy one last time.

Silvy… I'm sorry for leaving without a word. And I'm so sorry that I couldn't…keep my promise. Thank you for all the things you've done for me.

I walked up to the table and left my Frism for her to listen to when she woke up. Although she would forget who I was, I still spoke as if she knew me. I told her thank you for saving me the first time we met. I spoke of all the fond memories we had made together alone and with our team. I wished her good luck in running Paradise and in the future. And…I told her how I felt about her and how sorry I was that I couldn't tell her in person.

I stepped outside into the early morning and turned to get a last look at our home.

"I suppose this is the last time I'll ever see this house…"

I reminisced on how this house came into existence. We had convinced Gurdurr to give up his days of conning and asked him to build our house. When he and the Timburr finished, he had this look of such satisfaction and gratitude in being chosen to build our home.

It seems like so long ago now that we build this house… I've made so many memories here already. Thank you…and good-bye. You were a great home, to Silvy and me.

I made my way through the crossroads and up Post Town. Not a Pokémon was awake, probably from staying up so late last night. At the top of the hill was Hydreigon in astral form.

"…Hydreigon…"

"Good morning, Shin. I suppose it's not surprising that there are no Pokémon awake at this hour. Now…once we depart, Shin, you will disappear from the memories of your friends. Are you sure you don't have any regrets?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"…I see… Then…here we go."

Warm light began enveloping me. It was soft gold color that swirled around me.

"The light…is… Right now… Is this the moment? Has everyone…already forgotten me? Even Silvy… But there's nothing I can do… I was summoned here because of Hydreigon's wish, and I succeeded in saving the world, like I was supposed to. At least I was able to help everyone here… At least I was able to protect my friends and…Silvy. Shouldn't that be enough?"

I was gently lifted up and Hydreigon followed suite. We rose fairly high, surprising quicker than I anticipated. I could see the mountains, forests, rivers, and desert that we had travel to and from.

Hydreigon was circling me as I rose higher into the sky.

... It's surpisingly…fast… WhenI watched the others from the hill, it hardly looked like they were moving but… … …

Some time later, I was high enough to see the ocean in the horizon. If I looked in another direction, I could see where the Great Glacier once stood.

… … …Post Town looks pretty small now. It's been quite a while since we started rising. We're up pretty high already. But even with how small it looks now, I think I could still recognize every last Pokémon in Post Town. … … … That's right…

I turned to Hydreigon and called him over for a question.

"Hmm? What is it, Shin?"

"Do you think I can go over to see Paradise one last time?"

"You want to go see Paradise? Of course, Shin. I have no objection. Let's go."

Hydreigon flew in the direction of Paradise and my bubble of light naturally followed. I looked below and save the region that was Paradise.

"…Oh! I can see it… It's Paradise…"

From where the light floated, I spotted Silvy running in Paradise Center.

"Ah! It's Silvy! And he's talking with Quagisre. It's just another normal day in Paradise. Only…this tie I'm not part of it."

Everyone else of the Starlight came rushing forth and spoke to Silvy. I couldn't tell who said what, but Silvy suddenly looked up into the sky.

…Silvy is… She's looking up at us. She's not…looking away.

Everyone else looked up into the sky alongside Silvy.

E-everyone! But they were all supposed to have forgotten me…

"…Right. That's it. They've just noticed the light. They aren't looking at me… But they're looking at one another now… I feel like we are still connected somehow, even if they don't remember me. I'm glad…that I got to see all their faces once more… Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Silvy…"

"Are you ready to move on?" Hydreigon asked.

"Yes…"

"Then off we go, Shin…"

Hydreigon lifted up the light and me higher into the air.

Good-bye, Silvy. Even if you forget me…I will always remember. Always. I will never forget you. Thank you…Silvy… Good-bye. Be happy.

I rose even higher than before. I rose beyond the clouds and all I could see was the clear blue skies as far as the eye can see.

"… … What a beautiful, flawless sky… If I recall, the sky was this perfect and blue when I first came here."

"Shin! Look at that! So beautiful!"

Hydreigon was gesturing me to see the in the direction of the Rainbows of Hope. They were still a perfectly picturesque wonder of this world.

"It's the rainbows! The Rainbows of Hope! So the rainbows have appeared again today. I'm glad this will be my last sight of the Pokémon world… I'm glad I could see them…the Rainbows of Hope."

"Shin… I'm afraid this is as far as I can go. I truly owe you so much for what you have done, Shin. I can't even begin to imagine how I should thank you. I am overwhelmed by this great sense of gratitude toward you. Thank you, Shin. Thank you so very much. And finally… Please take this."

Hydreigon floated over to me and handed me a Frism.

This is…a Frism?

"It belonged to Silvy."

"This is Silvy's Frism?!"

"The truth is that last night, during the celebration, Silvy approached me. And she said that if the day ever came when you must return to the human world, Shin, then I was to give you this. And then Silvy handed me the Frism that you now hold."

…I'm sure of it… This is the Frism that was Silvy's precious treasure. Why would she…

"Now I must take my leave. Shin… Thank you so very, very much. Please have a good life. Good-bye!"

Hydreigon stopped following me and allowed me to continue rising higher without me. I was now utterly alone, just waiting to fade away. The only companion I had was Silvy's Frism.

"The Frism is white inside. There's something recorded in it."

I held the Frism to my mouth and lightly blew warm air to the rim to warm it. The frozen part of the Frism began to produce sounds as soon as I set it down. I sat and listened to Silvy's message to me.

'… … … …Shin… Can you hear me?'

"It's Silvy's voice…"

'Shin… If you are listening to my voice on this Frism, then I guess that means the time has already come for you to leave our world. I know I told you before, but I've always been searching for something. What I wanted was someone to laugh with. Someone to suffer with…even fight with… Someone I would trust so sompletely that it wouldn't matter if we did fight. A true friend… That's what I was searching for. And then I finally found one. In fact, I found something so much more than a friend. I found someone to love. And that was you, Shin. We are true friends, you and me. You have been my dearest friend and the person I deeply loved. And that's why… I wanted us to stay together forever.'

'But…then I realized something. You are a human. That means you must have important people in the human world as well. And those people… They must be so worried about you right now, Shin. I don't want…to make those people sad. So even if we have to say good-bye… I will watch you go with a smile! Even if we can't see each other anymore, I'll still be thinking of you every day. I will never forget you. I heard it all about it from Hydreigon. About the light that will carry you away…and about the way everyone will forget you. Maybe that's what will happen. But, even so… I won't ever forget you, Shin!'

"S…Silvy!"

'Come on, we've even changed fate by now, haven't we? Our friendship and love for each other isn't something that's gonna disappear so easily! Yes, that's right. I knew you loved me too! So no matter how great the distance is between us… Wherever you are… Whenever it is… I won't ever forget you, Shin. And… I'm not the only one!'

'Heeey, Shin! You listening?!'

"E-Emolga!"

'They think we're just gonna forget you or something? Like that'd ever happen! Are you kidding me?!'

'I know I won't ever forget you, either! After all, Shin…you're my hero!'

"Dunsparce…"

'Thank you, Shin! I won't be forgetting a single moment! You've done so many good things for us… When I think of how much you've meant to us…there's just no way we'd forget!'

"Even Virizion…"

'Hey, Shin! You thought you could just sneak off without saying a word, huh?!'

'But we understand, Shin. That was just your way of trying to be kind. That's how much you care about everyone, isn't it, Shin? So we will quietly watch you go without interfering. But please don't worry about a thing. We won't ever forget our sweet Shin!'

"Umbreon! Espeon!"

'Hmmm, me, too! I couldn't ever, mmm, forget you! I still remember, mmm, the first time you ever set foot in Post Town, Shin. There's no way I'd forget that, hmm? If I do forget, then I…I… Boo-hoo-hoommm!'

"Quagsire…"

'Shin! Thank you for everything! I won't be forgetting a single moment! The same goes for all of the Post Towners… Right, everybody?'

''YEAAAAAHHH!''

"Swanna… And all the Pokémon from town…'

'It's quite sad to say good-by after you came all the way to our world, but we won't forget you, so… …Shin, please remember us sometimes, too! OK?'

'Shin! Have a real good life, OK?'

'If ya need a house built, ya know who to call! I'd go all the way to the human world for a friend like you, Shin!'

"You guys… All of you…!"

The tears wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop crying from all the heartfelt words everyone left for me. All of Post Town and Paradise sent me their best wishes. These tears just couldn't stop, as tears of sadness and happiness fell together.

'Shin… Did you hear all that? Everyone insists that they aren't going to forget you. So even if tomorrow comes… And that light comes to carry you away… It may seem like we will lose all our memories, but the truth is even if we have to defy fate, we will not forget! Everyone remember that you fought harder than all the rest of us, Shin! That's why we cannot forget! That's why there's no way we would forget! Thank you so much for everything you've done for us. Thank you for being one of us. And umm… I know I've said this before, but I wanted to tell you at least formally: I love you. I've loved you since we became Team Starlight. I'm sorry that I never told in person. Good-bye, Shin. Please have a good life.'

''Good-bye! Take care!'

"Sob… Silvy… I love you too! Even when you said…you wanted me to stay… Even though I promised you…! But you already knew, didn't you? Sniff… That I…wouldn't be keeping that promise… That I would have to leave you someday. And…in the end… When our eyes seemed to meet across the sky, those eyes, the way those eyes were fixated on me, I'm sure of it. Silvy…everyone… You didn't forget me, didn't you? You looked up at the light, knowing it was me, to say good-bye. You even managed to overcome your fate to forget me… Silvy still, everyone still… They still remember me… Silvy… My…friends… Sob."

I cried. I don't know for how long but I kneeled before the Frism and just cried until there were no more tears left in me. The light continued to float higher even while I cried. By the time I noticed, I was far above the Rainbows of Hope. The last thing I remembered before everything went dark, was the Rainbows of Hope shining down on Paradise.

""Brother!""

I awoke in bed that was the same as the orphanage I grew up in. Next to me was the girl and boy and boy that would always wake me up for breakfast.

"He's back! He's back!"

The young boy yelled this over and over as he went downstairs to tell everyone of the orphanage the good news.

"Waaah! Where were you Big Brother?! You were gone for so long! I've missed you sooo much!"

"There there, little one. It's okay. Tell me what happened.

"Hic…You were… hic…hic… You just disappeared one day and never came back. We thought you died! Or that you ran away and hated us! Sob…"

"Hey…take it easy. I'd never do that. As you can see, I'm back. I'll tell you everything that happened to me."

"Promise…?"

"I promise. Let's wait right here for everyone to come."

I gently lifted the young girl and sat her next to me. She was so happy that I had returned and hugged me saying she didn't want me to go away again.

""Shin!""

"Where did you go?!"

"Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Why did you leave?"

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm so glad you're back…"

"Hey, hey. One at a time. I'll answer every one of your questions. Let's just take it one at a time," I said, trying to get some order in my room.

"Where did you go, Shin?"

"We were so worried because you suddenly just up and disappeared. There was no note or anything so we thought you ran away or were abducted."

"Well, I'll tell you everything if you're willing to listen. I warn you: you probably won't believe me nor ever will."

"Must be a pretty fantastic place if you're already saying that," one said sarcastically.

"I'll believe you, Shin! You've never lied to us before!" another defended.

"Big brother never lies! He always tells the truth!" a smaller one voiced.

"Okay. Gather 'round everyone. It'll be a long story. I'll tell you where I went and what I've done. Where I went was a place so beautiful that you wouldn't even believe it could exist. There I met the most wonderful girl I could ever dream of meeting. The friends I made were people you could trust every time and were very colorful. This all started when I had a dream…"

Good-bye Shin. No matter how great the distance, our hearts will always be connected. I will always be with you in spirit. Forever and ever.


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

…

… … …

…I still sometimes see it. At night, this scene still sometimes appears in my dreams. And every time it does, I peek into that pool. Every time, I am reminded…that I can't go back.

The scene was that same place that compelled me to walk over to look at my reflection. Fog would drift eerily and the water would waver at times. Whenever I approached, I didn't see the reflection I was hoping to see.

…It's just as I expected. I'll never return there… I'll never again return to the…Pokémon world, where everyone is…and where Silvy is.

Months have passed here in the human world. Many things happened and somehow I had become the owner of the orphanage I grew up in. I transformed it into something really special that welcomed all the orphans and made it so they never got the chance to miss their parents. The children that grew up either left or stayed to help me run this place. Even if they left, they always found a way to support the place they grew up in.

I've had plenty of offers for a better life, but being here and helping these kids was my life's work. I couldn't just leave them. These kids needed friends and a family, and I could give it to them until they made new friends and families.

But there were often times when I slept, I secretly hoped that I would be whisked away to the Pokémon world once more. I made sure that if my secret wish ever came true, the orphanage would be left in good hands. But sadly, to no avail. All I could do was stare into the pool of water that appeared from time to time.

… … …

Much time has passed since the Bittercold was destroyed and the peaceful days have continued here in our world. The Pokémon in Post Town and in Paradise are the same as ever… Their smiles… Their kindness… Nothing seems to have changed. I guess I haven't really changed, either… I have a good time with everyone here in Paradise. But…every now and then...the vision strikes me and I remember you. And when I remember, it sometimes makes me feel sad.

Morning would come and I would stretch like before. Instead of hearing you say good morning or when I would just start to say it, I look over and remember that you're not here by my side anymore. I'd shake away the crawling sadness and head off.

The same old scenes… The unchanging flow of time… Today will be another peaceful day in Post Town. Every day passes like this, with nothing ever happening… But it's really only now, after the battle with the Bittercold, that I can feel, 'Oh. So this is what peace is.'

Hydreigon still seems shocked, to be honest. When you returned to the human world, we were supposed to have lost all memories that you were once here with us. Apparently it's some sort of law—a fundamental truth of nature. But…we all went right on remembering Shin.

"No, it really is unbelievable, you know! Your feelings for Shin somehow allowed you all to retain your memories even in defiance of the laws of nature! And yet it doesn't seem to be creating any distortion or upsetting nature's balance! This is really just unbelievably amazing!"

"I still have no idea what you're talking about, Hydreigon. But… Well…" Rufflet began.

"I know what ya mean. Shin saved us," Timurr said.

"Shin is truly the rescuer of our entire world. It simply wouldn't do to forget someone to whom we owe so much," Patrat agreed.

"Right! We can't go forgetting something like that!"

The Pokémon of Post Town still talk about you every day. They haven't forgotten how thankful they were. Everyone loved you. Of course, the same is true for the Pokémon in Paradise, too, and I as well. And thus the unchanging days continue on around me. Oh… Well, I may have said "unchanging," but I suppose there have been some changes.

Keldeo and Hydreigon have both joined the Starlight!

"What?! Keldeo and…Hydreigon?!" Emolga started.

"You want to be part of our team?!" Dunsparce said.

"Yeah. I've been thinking a lot about my options since I came here, but… Well, Virizion is here, and I think making Paradise seems pretty fun, too. Then, when I brought it up with Hydreigon yesterday," Keldeo said.

"'Ah! That sounds good—maybe I should join, too!' That's what I though, anyway!"

"So we decided to come to you together and ask if we could join you. What do you think? Will you let us be part of your team?"

"W-wait…up… Never mind Keldeo, but…Hydreigon?! Can you even do that? You're the voice of Life, right?" Emolga questioned.

"It's fine! After all, I really like this place. I love Paradise, and I love Post Town, and I love the signora's cooking. Althogether, I just love everything here! Besides, I think I can stay in this form for a while yet. So I hope you'll let me join you! " Hydreigon heartily answered.

"…Psst…I wonder what he means when he says he "thinks" he can stay like that," Espeon whispered.

"…Shh. Don't ask, Espeon. Just don't ask. …It's just a feeling, but I don't think any good will come from asking. And then we'd be probably be stuck listening to another of his endless rambles," Umbreon wearily whispered back.

"Well, at any rate, I for one would be very happy to welcome you both to the team! What about the rest of you?" Dunsparce asked.

"Sure! Of course we would be happy to have you!" Espeon voted.

"I'd more than welcome you!" Virizion agreed.

"Having the two of you in our team ought to make us stronger, anyway," Umbreon happily said.

"Heh! That's probably true enough. So, Silvy, what do you think?" Emolga questioned.

I didn't answer. My mind was too far away to even pay much attention to the conversation around me.

"Hm? What is it, Silvy?"

"Ah… Sorry! I was just zoning out… Of course! I'd love to have them both!"

"Great! Then we're all decided!"

"Keldeo! Hydreigon! Thanks! As of today, you are both officially part of the team! Welcome, and remember to do your best!" I said.

"Yeah! We will!"

"We won't let you down! Shehehe!"

Dunsparce was the only one among us who was not taking part in or small celebration in welcoming our new members.

"… … …"

"Alright! Then, everybody… Let's give it our all again today!" I ordered.

""YEAAAAAHHH!""

Another day of adventuring passed and everyone went their separate ways after our jobs were completed. Inside Swanna's inn were Pokémon enjoying another night among friends and among them was Hydreigon ravenously devouring food at three times the pace of a regular Pokémon due to his three heads.

"Deeeeeeeeeelicious!"

Emolga and Dunsparce were accompanying him and watched as he devoured the food on his plate.

"The food here really is the best, you know! "

"Whoa, you sure can put it away… I'm gettin' real confused, you know, about what the Voice of Life really is…" Emolga said awkwardly.

"Hey, Hydreigon? You're the one who summoned Shin to this world, aren't you? From the human world." Dunsparce asked.

"That's right! "

"I'd love to hear more about that."

"Oh! Good one, Dunsparce! I wanna hear that, too!"

"Fine by me! Then let me tell you how it happened! Let's see… It all began when…"

Several hours later, Hydreigon was still happily and ignorantly rambling on and on over a tangent that somehow related to his story in his head.

"…and so…that's basically how it happened. Now, that brings up to the main point…"

The audience that was originally interested in Hydreigon's story were collapsed on the floor due to the extreme boredom of Hydreigon's numerous tangent stories.

"How long is he gonna go on like this?!" Emolga whispered.

"He hasn't even got to the part of the story where Shin comes in…" Dunsparce miserable said.

"Ugh… We should never have asked."

As Emolga and Dunsparce were miserably trying to listen to Hydreigon's happy rambling, up on the hill were two other Pokémon having a pleasant chat.

"Here you are, Keldeo," Virizion called out.

"Virizion?"

"What do you think? It's a nice view, isn't it?"

"Is it? It's so dark now that I can't really see a thing. But…even if it's dark out, the wind feels good on my face. I'm not scared of this dark. I feel at peace, especially now." Keldo said peacefully.

"I know what you mean. It really does feel peaceful here. Hey, Keldeo?"

"Yeah? What made you think of wanting to join the Starlight? I thought you were the type to avoid crowds or being part of a group. That, and I figured you'd want to set off on another journey sooner or later…"

"Yeah well, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do from now on and, in the end, I decided to stay here. For one thing, you're here. And…"

"And?" 

"I guess it might be because of Silvy…"

"Silvy?"

"Yeah. You remember what happened at the Glacier Palace, Virizion? There at the Glacier Palace…when everyone was fighting Munna's gang…"

"Yes… I remember that battle. In the end, it was Munna who saved the day. She was the one who saved Silvy and Shin."

"At that time, Munna and her friends were all prepared to disappear together. They had lost all faith in the world. Munna and her friends thought that there was no way the world would get better."

"But feeling like that—like nothing's ever gonna get better in this world. They're not the only one ones who feel like that. We've all probably felt that way. Feeling completely disheartened, feeling that the world is stuck in a dead end; nearly everyone gets those feelings inside. It's not easy to help someone climb out of that kind of despair. But back then, Silvy turned to Munna, in her despair about the future, and this is what she said: 'I know the world may be rotten right now! But if we can make this a world worth living in again, then wouldn't you want to stay here with your friends?' Munna was still doubtful and even challenged Silvy's ideals, but she she then said: 'It will! I'm going to make it happen!' Silvy wasn't done yet! She said that when it comes to making a world worth living in, it might be easier said than done.

"…I'm sure Silvy has had her own times of feeling just like Munna, times when the world felt like a rotten place to be. But she looked at that and thought, "Well then, I guess I've gotta change it." That's where Silvy's dream of building Paradise came from. She stepped up and made acommitment to make a better world. When Silvy says it, you really feel like it could happen. Strange, huh? But that's the reason I believe in Silvy and her dream. Her words let me see the importance of helping out with that dream of hers."

"Keldeo…"

"Virizion… Silvy is going to be a great leader someday."

"Yeah. I know. She's already been a fantastic leader for all of us on the team. In time, I think she's bound to do even greater things! Keldeo, I'm glad you feel the same way! I'm really glad you respect Silvy, too. But recently…Silvy has been…well, really quite down about what happened with Shin."

"I know… She's obviously been trying hard to act cheerful around everyone, but the loneliness still manages to peek through somehow. What else could we expect? Shin was the Pokémon she loved in the whole world. I guess we've just got to wait…till time smooths the raw edge of that pain a little."

"…I suppose you're right. I do worry about her, but…I guess we just have to stand back and watch over her."

"By the way, Virizion."

"Ye-e-e-e-es, Keldeo?"

"Your best friend in the whole world, that'd be me, right?"

"Nope."

"What! I'm not?! Sob… Th-this can't be true… I've always…believed we…"

"Eep! I'm sorry… I was just teasing. But things like "best" or "second best" aren't important when it comes to friends. Or friendship will always be special to me."

"R-really?!"

"Of course!"

Heh. I only said he wasn't my best friend because his reaction is so funny, Virizion secretly thought.

"We have a long history together. A lot of deep ties. Our friendship is real…and it won't ever change."

"Th-that's right! Thanks, Virizion!"

"No, I'm the one to thank you, Keldeo. I'm glad I have you around for the long hual. Let's do our best to build up Paradise!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna give it my all! Whoo-hoo! I got to see Virizion smile!"

The both of them happily enjoyed there laughter. Keldeo enjoyed it the most as he saw his closest friend as she looked like so long ago.

The next day, Hydreigon was happily relaxing at the top of the hill.

"…Blue sky…puffy clouds… It's always the same, and…I always feel that this view is so calming. Perhaps I'll just keep lying here till the sun sets. This is such tranquil place… Ahhh… Hm? Hmn? What was that? What was that feeling just now? Hm? Hmm? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?"

"Aha! Found you! So this is where you were! Hello Hydreigon!"

Dunsparce came up to the hill in search of Hydreigon.

"What were you doing flying around like that? Looking for something in the sky?"

"N-no… I was wondering about something. What is it you need, Dunsparce? Can I help you with something?"

"Oh! That's right! The truth is I want to ask you a favor."

"You want to ask a favor?"

Around this time, I had already started walking home. Another typical job was completed and we had dispersed after receiving our reward. Paradise had truly become something spectacular in the months you've been gone, Shin. Those remaining plots of land we never got around to reforming into new land? One of them became a mountainous place where you could stare off into the distance and breath nothing but clean air. Another forest was built to accommodate the ever increasing business stalls that kept applying to set up shop in Paradise. We even have our own concert grounds! Meloetta had heard of how famous our team was and asked if she could join and be our team's own songstress. Now Pokémon from all over come to Post Town to hear her sing.

Yeah, Paradise has really become what I always wanted it to be. But somehow, I still can't shake the feeling that there's something missing. It's Paradise for all, but then why am I not happy to be in Paradise at times?

I these thoughts kept circling in my head as I retired to my home. Before I entered, Emolga came to find me.

"Ah! Silvy!"

"Huh? Emolga? What's up?"

"Hey, Silvy… Have you seen Hydreigon anywhere?"

"Hydreigon? No, I haven't seen him—why? You need him for something?"

"Yeah… I had lunch with him yesterday, but he's such a big eater, you know? He ate so much we didn't have enough Poké dollars to cover the bill. So we ended up having to ask Swann to put it on a tab for us. We said we'd get the money together and go pay her back together, but that sneaky Hydreigon! I can't find him anywhere in town. He can't really be—He's not gonna run out on paying, is he?"

"What! Come on, I don't think he'd do something like that! But I got it. If I see Hydreigon, I'll let him know that you're looking for him."

"Thanks. I'm countin' on you. I'll go look around some more, I guess. Where could he have gone? Seriously… After he kept going on and on about how much he loves Post Town and Paradise…"

The next morning, as I got ready to leave for Paradise Center, Emolga was waiting for me outside my door.

"Huh? Emolga? Morning. Did you ever find Hydreigon?"

"No, I couldn't find any sign of him. I've searched every last corner of Post Town and Paradise—and nothing!"

Ah! He just materialized behind Emolga!

"Seriously, where could he have gone? I look left and he's not there."

"That's true, huh?" Hydreigon agreed.

"I look right and he's nowhere in sight."

"It's true. No one to be found there," Hydreigon agreed again.

"I'm finished. At this rate, Swann's never gonna trust me again! And then I'll never…get to eat her delicious food again…"

"What? That would truly be a disaster!"

Hydreigon's sudden cry of disbelief startled Emolga and he flew back a few feet.

"H-Hydreigon! When did you—"

"There isn't any food more delicious than Signora Swanna's in the whole wide world! To never be able to eat that heavenly fare again—Oh, poor Emolga!"

"Wha—Are you serious?! You—It's your fault, you thoughtless thing! Because of you, I can't show my face there!"

"Huh?"

"Did we or did we not agree to go back together to pay the bill? So where did you go off to, huh? You—"

"Ah."

"Don't you "Ah" me! If Swanna… If she never lets me eat at the inn again, I'm gonna blame you forever! Sniff… Sob…"

"Ahhh! I'm so sorry! I din't mean to—I havd to go because there was something I wanted to investigate."

"Investigate?" I asked.

"Yes. Because of that I just plain forgot about the bill we had left unpaid."

"So you DID forget!"

"Awk! I'm sorry. Forgive me! I'll go right this minute and pay the money back! Could call the whole team to the inn, please?"

"You want everyone to… D-don't tell me—Are you planning on borrowing money from everyone to pay your bill?"

"Of course not! I have something I want to tell everyone!"

"To tell…us?"

Emolga and I looked at each other, confused. We didn't know what to expect so I told Emolga and Hydreigon to go ahead and pay off their debt while I gathered everyone.

"What?!" Espeon gasped.

"Shin could—" Virzion started.

"There might be a way Shin could…" Umbreon continued.

"Stay here in the Pokémon world?" Keldeo finished.

"Yes. This is all hypothetical, but if Shin had stayed in this world, it would have created a distortion in the fabric of the universe. That's why it was decided that Shin's fate was to return to the human world. I myself believed that such facts were unchangeable. But…it may be… Maybe fate can be changed after all."

"R-really?" Dunsparce hoped.

"Yes, Dunsparce. I was also shocked when I started looking into it!"

"Oh, thank you for doing this! I really owe you one, Hydreigon."

"Huh? What do you mean, Dunsparce?" Emolga asked.

"I was the one who asked for Hydreigon's help. I had to know if there might be a way Shin could stay in this world. After all, it was Hydreigon who summoned Shin here in the first place. I thought if I asked him, he might be the one who could find a way."

"That is how it happened. And so, when Dunsparce asked me to look into it, I left Post Town for a time. I had no intention of running out on a bill or anything of the kind! Hmf!" Hydreigon said, miffed. "Please take my word on that, Signora Swanna! I am not the type of Pokémon to run out on a bill. Signora, if you forbid me to eat at the inn… I will… I will surely d—"

"It's fine, Hydreigon. No need to say more. I never thought for a second that boys had tried to run out on your bill. What's more important is to hear about the rest of your discovery," Swanna consoled.

"…Of course… Um… Well, from the beginning, I had thought that Shin staying in this world would go against the laws of nature, that a return to the human's world was inevitable. However, since coming here, I've felt that those very laws of nature are changing. And the reason for those changes is this. It's because of all you and your refusal to forget Shin. This realization was a great shock to me. The strength of your feelings has, well, you've managed to override the laws that govern nature itself. This impossible thing—this unbelievable thing—is now happening because of you.

"This new view of a deeper truth made me hope we could change Shin's fate. And, to be honest, I…I also wish to see Shin again. As I considered these possibilities, Dunsparce came to talk to me. And so I went away for a time. I needed to search out a safer way to call Shin back to this world. I communicated with the Voices of Life from various lands. I gathered a great deal of information. At last, I arrived at a single possibility."

"A single…possibility?" Espeon asked.

"Yes. Northwest of here, there lies a dungeon called the Worldcore. And in the deepest part of that dungeon, there is a place called the Hill of Universal Order. It's said that this is a place where you can gaze on the universe in its balanced state. When you stand on that hill, if you make some sort of wish, and if the universe's balance is not upset by that wish, then your wish will be accepted as eternal and binding…and it will become reality. So it is said."

Everyone in the room was shocked to hear of such a mythical thing to exist.

"Hm. If the universe's balance is not upset…" Espeon thought.

"…then your wish will come true?!" Umbreon said.

"Of course, there has to be a strong enough desire behind a wish to make it come true, just like when you all determined not to forget Shin. And only one Pokémon can go to make a wish at the Hill of Universal Order. You cannot all go to wish together, I'm afraid."

"Just one of us… So we have to pick a representative. One Pokémon to make the wish for everyone!" Emolga decided.

"If we have to pick the best person to go, clearly, it would have to be…"

Everyone turned their attention to me. I was astounded by the fact that Shin could come back to our world. I really wanted to see him again, but something weighed heavily on my mind.

"…I know… I suppose you'll all want me to go, huh?"

"Of course. There's no way it could be anyone but you," Emolga declared.

"The one with the closest ties to Shin. Surely, that has to be you, Silvy," Espeon said.

"…What is it? Silvy…. Why don't you seem excited?" Virzion asked.

"… … …"

"You can tell us anything. We're all friends, right?" Umbreon assured.

"…Yeah… A long time ago, Shin and I made a promise. A promise to stay together forever… I really thought that was what I wanted back then. But…it was only after Shin promised to stay with me that I realized. Shin must have friends and family in the human world as well. And, if that's the case, then going back to the human world, might be best for Shin, too. Shin is really important to me. And that's exactly why I gave up on that promise…and said good-bye."

"…Silvy…"

"Being able to meet Shin again would make me happier than anything. But if Shin comes back this world, it might not be possible to return to the human world a second time. Is that really what's best for Shin? I'm scared to answer that."

"Silvy… You are a very kind soul. I understand very well…what it is you mean. But what is or is not best for Shin, that is something that Shin knows better than you. I think this a decision that has to be up to Shin—not you," Swanna calmly explained.

"Swanna…"

"I agree. And in addition to that, if you are worried about Shin's friends and family, here's what you could do when you reach the Hill of Universal Order. Make your wish that Shin be able to travel freely between the two worlds!" Hydreigon suggested.

"Oh! Yeah, if I made a wish like that… If it was possible to travel freely between the human world and this one… But, do you think something like that is even possible?"

"If you try wishing it and the universe doesn't lose its balance, then—yes. You won't know the answer until you try."

"Then I guess you've just gotta try! If you don't' try, then you definitely won't succeed!" Emolga declared.

"Um… Silvy? Do you have any idea why Dunsparce came to ask me about this? It was because he wanted you to be happy again, Silvy."

"What? Me?"

"Ever since Shin left us, you haven't been the same. So I figured if Shin came back, you might feel…well, you might be happy again!" Dunsparce happily said.

"Dunsparce…"

"Everyone has been worried about you, you know."

"Virizion…"

"Hey, Silvy. I really want you to be happy again, too. And I really want to see Shin again!" Emolga said.

"I do as well!" Espeon voiced.

"Me, too!"

"Count me in!"

Umbreon and Keldeo also wanted to see Shin again.

"I couldn't agree more!"

"A-and me!"

"Don't forget me!"

"And I won't be left out, either!"

Hydreigon, Virzion, Dunsparce, even Swann. Everyone here wanted to see Shin again just as much as I did. I was so moved, tears started to form.

"E-everyone…"

"What are you gonna do, Silvy? How do you feel about this?" Emolga asked.

"I… I… I want to see Shin, too! I really…really want to…"

This has always been my heart's wish since the day you left.

"I know what I've got to do. Thanks, everybody. I…I'm gonna do it! I'll go. I'll go for everyone… I'll go to the Worldcore!"

"Yes, Silvy!"

"Silvy!"

"Thank goodness! You can reach the Worldcore from the crossroads. We'll all be counting on you! And while I won't be traveling with you, Silvy, I will also go to the Worldcore."

"Huh? How come, Hydreigon? Didn't you just say that only one Pokémon could go?" Emolga pointed out.

"I'm the Voice of Life, after all! That makes me a free agent! But I don't want to risk this chance by helping you in your battles. So, until you reach the bottom of the dungeon, I'll let you make your own way through. Therefore, Silvy, I'll meet you within the Worldcore. We shall meet at the Hill of Universal Order! I'll do whatever I can to support you. More than ever, we will do our best!"

"Good luck, Silvy!" Dunsparce cheered.

"We'll all be wishing for your success!" Umbreon added.

"Yeah! I'm gonna do my best and hurry back home! And then everybody will get to see Shin again! I'll never give up!"

Everybody in the entire inn broke out in a rousing cheer. We all knew what we wanted and I would set off to the Worldcore to bring back that one person we all wanted to see again.

The Worldcore was a dark place beneath our world. It was hot and pools of lava could be found from to time. There were also spots of magma that could be seen beneath rock beginning to cave in due to the immense heat. This was definitely not the sort of place where a Grass-type, like myself, would ever be in. But this time was different. There was no other way to reach the Hill of Universal Order. I could only brave the fierce Pokémon that made their residence here.

"I can do it, too, if I try, Shin!"

I encouraged myself with these words as I pressed deeper in this dungeon. Fighting these Pokémon would more than likely send me back to Paradise in burns and bruises. I had to bypass the Pokémon through another method. I looked through the Deposit Box and found that we had amassed a large quantity of Pure Seeds. These seeds allowed the user to be warped to the stairs that led to the next floor. Using these, I managed to avoid the Pokémon and the numerous traps that littered the floor.

"…I've come pretty far down. …Ah! It's almost too faint to notice, but…I think I can see some sort of light up ahead. I'd better go check it out!

Coming into the light, I walked into a vast space. Space. That was only word I could describe it as. Large rocks were floating in the air and stars glittered in the deep blue scenery. A cliff overlooked the space. Maybe this was what the universe looked like up high.

"This is… Could it be? Have I finally…made it to the Hill of Universal Order?"

I stepped closer to the edge of the cliff.

"What! It's a sheer cliff? Whoa… It's so dark down there that I can't see at thing. Doesn't look like I'm gonna get anywhere that way…"

Above me, numerous stars twinkled. Parts of the sky were dyed in different colors, hues of pink, red, violet, indigo. It was as someone painted the sky.

"Whoa! A-ma-zing! This is—There are hundreds of little lights sparkling on the cave ceiling! Beautiful… They're just like the stars… Who would believe that there's a place like this so deep underground? It sure is a mysterious feeling."

"It really is a beautiful place, isn't it? I was surprised, too."

"Hydreigon…"

Behind, Hydreigon materialized into a physical form.

"You wonder at first why anyone would call an underground place a "hill", don't you? Then you stand on the edge of that cliff and when you look up, it's just as if you're standing atop a hill somewhere. Looking up at the stars that fill the clear night sky, they say that's the reason why it's called the Hill of Universal Order."

"So then…this really is…"

"It is. You are standing, without a doubt, on the Hill of Universal Order. So Silvy, it is time for your wish."

I eagerly nodded at Hydreigon and turned around to face the night and stars. I closed my eys and began praying for my wish.

"… … …"

I know I said good-bye, but the truth is, when all's said and done…I really want to see Shin.

Twinkle.

I know I'm not the only one. We all feel the same.

Twinkle.

The simple fact is this. We need Shin here with us! None of us can forget Shin!

Twinkle.

If this world could just allow Shin to be part of it, if Shin could somehow travel freely between this world and the human world. Then…that's all I'd ever ask for! So…please… Please…here my wish!

When I opened my eyes, stars all over the sky began twinkling wildly.

"Whoa!"

Then they all went out. Everything began to disappear. Darkness was the only thing visible anywhere you looked. After the darkness came, the earth began to shake.

"H-Hydreigon! What's happening!?"

"The strain is too much… Space is being distorted. I'm afraid that the balance of the universe is beginning to falter."

"Oh no! The balance—"

"As I suspected. It looks as though Shin…can't be in this world without upsetting the laws of nature. The distortion shouldn't be big enough to affect the whole Pokémon world, but…it will swallow up the Hill of Universal Order. Although, in the distatant future, it seems that it will shape itself anew. To be quite specific…this whole cave is about to collapse."

"What! Th-that means… My wish…the wish of the Starlight… It…it wasn't enough to overcome the laws of nature?"

"I'm so sorry. It appears that way. We've failed… And there's a strong possibility…that we ourselves will be swallowed up by this distortion! But if we stop now, if we give up and run, we still might be able to escape it! There might be enough time, if we go now! We have to run for it, Silvy!"

"B-but…if this place disappears, it won't appear again for years and years, right?"

"… … …"

"We won't be able to come back here and try again until that happens, right? No! I won't give up wishing—not even if I disappear, too! I still…I still can't forget Shin! I still want us to be together!"

"That's very good to hear, Silvy. Your determination is exactly what is needed!"

"Wh-what?"

"Now there's just one more thing. Another theory I've been holding on to… If my hunch is correct, then… The truth, Silvy, is that I… I felt Shin's presence a few days ago."

"What!?"

"It just may be, somewhere in the human world… Shin might be watching us right now."

Wha…

"S-shin is—Watching us? Right now?!"

"Yes."

Hydreigon then turned to look some point in the ceiling and spoke,

"Shin… You can hear me, can't you? We must know your feelings about all this, Shin. You've been watch us all this time, haven't you? You've been able to observe everyone in Post Town and Paradise. And you've seen just how much they care about you. Haven't you, Shin? How did that make you feel? What do you want to do about it? Because if your wish is strong enough, I'm sure that—"

I…I want….I… Of course…I want… I want to go back! I want to go back to the Pokémon world, where everyone is waiting for me! I want to go back to the world!

The earth stopped shaking and a flash blinded us for a moment. The both of us tried to find the source of the light but there was nothing. Then in front of us, a soft glow began to grow brighter and brighter until a figure could be seen within it. When the glow faded, there stood a familiar Pokémon. That Pokémon walked over to us and smiled.

"Hi, Silvy. I'm back."

That was all he said. I ran to him and hugged him, tears continuously falling. My sobbing echoed in the entire space. He just held me and kept saying he was back over and over. When I pulled away I smiled and said,

"Welcome home, Shin."

"I'm home, Silvy. Thank you…

The next morning, I awoke like always and checked to see if that person was next to me. He awoke and yawned out his drowsiness before turning to me.

"Morning, Shin! Let's give it our all today!"

"Yeah. Let's give it our all from now on!"

Shin is… Shin's right here…beside me again. Now it really is Paradise again…


End file.
